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/&K M.J. QR/FFITH 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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Sh.elf.tX..l5 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE 



CROSS OF CHRIST 



THE 



MEASURE OE THE WORLD. 



BY / 



REV. M. J. GRIFFITH, 

Valatie, N. Y. 




NEW YORK: 
D. & J. SADLIER & COMPANY, 

31 AND 33 BARCLAY STREET. 



2j\ 






IMPRIMA TUR. 

^ M. A. CORRIGAN, 

Archbishop of New York. 

IMPRIMA TUR. 

►^ FRANCIS, 

Bishop of Albany. 



Copyrighted by 

REV. M. J. GRIFFITH. 

1886. 



Edward O. Jenkins' Sons, 

Printers and Stereotypers^ 

20 North William St.. New York, 



TO 

THE VERY REV. DR. HENRY GABRIELS, 

President of St, yoseph^s P}-ovincial Seminary^ 
TROY, N. Y., 

AS A TOKEN OF SINCERE AFFECTION AND DEVOTED 

ADMIRATION, 

BY THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE. 



In compliance with a custom, which is not without 
its advantages, this is the place to lay before the reader 
some account of the following work, its rise and 
progress, nature and design. I am not of opinion that 
the subject can be so easily exhausted as some may 
suppose. I do not think it possible for the richest im- 
agination to preclude all scope for further remark, on 
so copious a matter, or for the greatest acuteness to 
prevent all criticism on its elucidation. On the other 
hand, it must be owned possible, that a man may write 
copiously on a subject, without adding to the stock of 
knowledge provided by those who wrote before him, or 
saying anything which has not been already as well, or 
perhaps better, said by others. How far this is applica- 
ble to the present publication, must be submitted to 
the judicious and intelligent reader. 

As far back as the year 1868, soon after I had gotten 
the charge of a country parish, I first formed the design 
of collecting such useful materials as should either oc- 
cur to my own observation, or as I should meet with in 
the course of my reading. In this way I proceeded 
many years, merely for my own improvement, and that 
I might qualify myself for being more useful to the 
people intrusted to my care. I did not assign to this 
occupation any stated portion of my time, but recurred 
to it occasionally, when anything occurred in reading, 

(V) 



VI PREFACE. 

^ or offered itself to my reflections, which appeared to 
throw light on the subject of my investigation. 

I may in this work have erred in many things ; for to 
err is the lot of frail humanity ; and no merely human 
production ever was, or ever will be, faultless. But I 
can say, with confidence, that I have not erred in any- 
thing essential. And wherefore am I thus confident ? 
Because I believe the word of the Lord Jesus : " If any 
man will do the will of God he shall know of the doc- 
trine whether it be from God" (John vii. 17). 

In an age like the present, wherein literary produc- 
tions are so greatly multiplied, it is not matter of won- 
der that readers, when they hear of any new work, in- 
quire about what, in modern phrase, is called the origi- 
nality of the thoughts, and the beauties of style it pos- 
sesses. The press teems daily with the labors of the 
learned. Plenty in this, as in every other commodity, 
makes people harder to be pleased ; hence it happens 
that authors are sometimes tempted for the sake of 
gratifying the over-nice and fastidious taste of their 
readers, to affect paradoxes, and say things extravagant 
and incredible, being more solicitous about the newness, 
or even the uncommonness, than about the truth of 
their sentiments. Though I cannot help thinking this 
preference injudicious, whatever be the subject, it is 
highly blamable in every thing wherein religion or 
morals are concerned. To this humor, therefore, no 
sacrifice can be expected here. As to the language, 
simplicity, propriety, and perspicuity are the principal 
qualities at which I have aimed. I have no other reason 
to give for adding one more to that heap of books 
which men complain is already grown too great, but 
the hope I have of doing some service to our Lord, by 



PREFACE. Vii 

making a search into the Testimony^ which proves that 
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and in Hivi we have 
Eternal life (i John v. 7, 8, 11). The hope of which is 
the most precious legacy the Son of God has left us ; 
the hinge upon which all religion turns ; without which 
it would be the greatest vanity (as Lactantius often 
speaks, vi. c. 9) to obey the commands of virtue ; for 
whose sake we must endure not only many labors but 
oftentimes sore calamities. '' We were born (as he dis- 
courses elsewhere, Lib. vii. ii, c. 9) to acknowledge God 
the maker of us and of the world : whom we therefore 
acknowledge, that we may worship Him ; and therefore 
worship Him, that we may receive immortality for a 
reward of our labors." 

The serious reader, I doubt not, will be sensible of 
all this, when he has perused the following work. In 
this book the reader has a verbal illustration of the wis- 
dom, power, and goodness of God. We of to-day dis- 
cover as much to admire in the expanded pages of rev- 
elation and creation as did Adam six thousand years 
ago, when he walked forth to survey the beauties of 
Eden while arrayed in the glitter of its earliest dews. 

To rear the edifice of Christian knowledge on its only 
secure and solid basis ; to afford the faithful a fixed 
standard of Christian belief, and to supply a pure and 
perennial fountain of living waters to refresh and invig- 
orate the souls of men, were amongst the important ob- 
jects contemplated by the author. 

The judicious reader will not look for ornaments of 
style in a work purely theological and didactic ; the 
character of the work precludes the idea : perspicuity 
and elaborate accuracy ar^ the leading features of the 
book. 



Vlll PREFACE. 

In regard to the Theological illustrations offered, It 
may be proper to state, that the author entered nearly 
every quarry within his reach that promised materials 
suitable to his purpose, and fashioning them after his 
own plan, inserting them in the edifice rearing under 
his hands. The Sacred Scriptures are the fountains 
from which the work must draw, while for the fuller 
elucidations of Catholic tenets the author has taken for 
his guide men eminently instrumental in promoting or- 
thodoxy, men who proved themselves the guiding stars 
to the portals of God's Church. 

Truth has been, in all their inquiries, their great aim. 
To her they were ready to sacrifice every personal con- 
sideration, but were determined, not knowingly, to sac- 
rifice her to anything. We love also the truth and 
must defend it. Now, let us ask what is the real key? 
What is the Christian interpretation of this world? 
What is given us by revelation to estimate and measure 
this world by ? — the crucifixion of the Son of God. 

The doctrine of The Cross of Christ the measiire of 
the world, and its adaptation to the wants and wishes of 
our common humanity, will be found unfolded with a 
freshness, a fulness, and a power highly calculated to 
expand the views, enlighten the judgment, and improve 
the heart. For it gives the principles, as well as the 
rules, on which our salvation depends. " He that taketh 
not up his cross and followeth me, is not worthy of 
me" (Matt. x. 38). 

The more we investigate what Jesus Christ has done, 
the more shall we know of Him, and the more we shall 
admire what we know, and love what we admire. Great 
pains have been taken to give, as far as possible, a clear 
and succinct exposition of the subjects in this treatise, 



PREFACE. IX 

— nothing was left undone on the part of the author to 
secure to their pages soundness of CathoHc doctrine. 

The materials for this work, long contemplated, 
had been gathered with diligence. I feel it a duty 
rather than a satisfaction, to say^that on looking 
over my manuscripts, stretching over a period of nine- 
teen years, I have not found an opinion or a feeling 
that I have ceased to entertain. Things and persons 
and circumstances may have changed much, so one can 
not, and must not feel now as then : but it is a conso- 
lation to have still the conviction that one did feel right 
then, because those feelings v/ere the necessary germs 
of what we know to be right now. Only principles 
could stand the test of so many years ; and in relig- 
ious ideas only one principle can remain unchangeable. 
It is to render homage to this truth that I consider a 
duty. I have surely a right to prize it above all other 
advantages, and consider it as a part of that heavenly 
wisdom which God refuses to none in His Church. And 
this was the determination to keep strictly under her 
guidance, to prize her orthodox teaching beyond all se- 
ductive theories, all brilliant paradoxes, all palliating 
explanations ; to love Catholic truth, simple and un- 
modified, as found at its centre, as practiced by artless 
believers ; to look there for purity of doctrine and ac- 
curacy of observance, where God has left the richest 
deposit for the future resurrection, in the ashes of His 
Apostles. 

This unbounded devotion to Christ's one Church, 
this undeviating adherence to her supreme Ruler ha3 
been the chart and compass by which I have endeavored 
to sail ; and while I humbly trust that not a word will 
be found in this volume discordant with her teaching, 



X PREFACE. 

her maxims, her desires, her thoughts, I submit to her 
correction all that is here written, and beg every ob- 
scurity or dubiousness to be interpreted on this princi- 
ple. With these words of peace, I take leave of my 
courteous reader, wishing him from above all grace and 
blessing, as I bid him to implore for me all mercy and 
forgiveness. M. J. G. 

St. John's Church, Valatie, N. Y. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Preliminary Chapter— The Existence of God, . i 

Atheism, 15 

The Vicarious Sacrifice, 21 

The Great Mystery of Christ's Incarnation, . 32 

The Revelation of the Word Incarnate, and how 

ALL Creatures bear Witness to its Divinity, . 50 

Historical and Mystical Character of Our Sav- 
iour's Transfiguration, 69 

Historical and Mystical Character of Our Sav- 
iour's Passion and Death, 120 

The Cross of Christ the Measure of the World, 138 

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, 146 

Eternal Life, 222 

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Founda- 
tion OF Ours, 285 

*' I WILL Go AND See this Great Sight," . . . 307 



(xi) 



THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



THE 



IVIKASURK OK THK WORIvD. 



PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. 

The doctrines of natural and revealed religion : such 
as the existence of one perfect Being, Creator, Pre- 
server, and Governor of all things ; the doctrine of the 
Trinity, or of three persons in the Godhead, the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; the Incarnation ; and the 
necessity of the Spirit's influence to regenerate the 
souls of men : This is God's truth, and the substance 
of all that reason teaches, and the Scriptures have re- 
vealed. There is reason for diversity of opinion on 
other points, but no one who has ears to hear, and who 
humbly listens to the voices of nature and revelation, 
can fail to discover what God is, and what man is, and 
what he needs. 

Now, before noticing the positive proof of the exist- 
ence of God, there is an initial consideration of some 
importance to the argument which must be adverted to. 

We allude to the immense knowledge requisite in cer- 
tain cases to establish a negative. An individual, for ex- 
ample, cast upon what seemed to be a desert island, might 
affirm that it was, or lately had been inhabited, and in 
proof of this, he would need only to point to the hu- 
man foot-print on the sand. One such mark would of 



2 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

itself be sufficient to make good the affirmation. But 
were the companion of his misfortune to contend that 
the island was uninhabited, and that no traces of a hu- 
man being having ever been there could be found, it is 
very obvious that the proof of this negative assertion 
would be attended with greater difficulty. In the one 
case, the simple human foot-mark fresh upon the soil, 
would be proof sufficient. In the other case, it would 
be necessary to explore the whole region, to examine 
carefully every cavern and locality before the negative 
proposition could be substantiated. The one clear print 
of a man's foot would prove that the man was, or had 
been, on the island, but it would be requisite to see that 
no human foot-print was visible throughout its entire 
length and breadth, that no vestige of a human inhabit- 
ant could be discovered, before an individual could be 
entitled to say, that no man was or had been there. 
And the difficulty of making good the negative would 
increase with the enlargement of the country, and the 
number and size of the localities to be gone over. 

The same principle holds with regard to the extent 
of time as to the extent of space. These remarks will 
enable us to see what extraordinary attainments must 
have been made before an individual be entitled to say 
there is no God. It is a negative proposition which no 
finite mind can enunciate without being guilty of the 
most astounding presumption, and the man would only 
betray his folly who would attempt to demonstrate It. 
The skeptic may express his doubts of the divine exist- 
ence, and give reasons for his doubting, but beyond 
this skepticism can achieve nothing. In order to sub- 
stantiate the affirmative proposition, that there is a 
God, nothing more might be necessary than to point to 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 3 

some of the foot-prints of the Creator which are visible 
in the heavens and the earth. If there be a God, only 
a very small amount of knowledge and experience 
would be required to prove it. The evidence might 
lie, as we say it does lie, in a flower of the field, in a 
leaf of the forest, in a single hand, or in a single eye. 
But the negative proposition could not be substantiated 
with such compass. He must needs have made him- 
self thoroughly acquainted with all worlds, have 
searched into the records of all ages, and have found 
throughout all space and all time no evidence of design, 
before an individual could be entitled to say that the 
universe is without a God. 

This intelligence, while a God is denied, involves the 
very attributes of divinity. If he does not know abso- 
lutely every agent in the universe, the one that he does 
not know may be God. Atheism is thus shown, at the 
very outset, to be illogical, and to rest on a monstrous 
assumption. 

Man cannot declare that there is no God without be- 
ing guilty of the most tremendous presumption. He 
who hazards the assertion is a fool, because it involves 
an amount of intelligence, while He in whom alone 
that attribute resides, is denied. And not only so, but 
there is an intellectual necessity for a Being uncaused 
and the cause of all. The mind cannot be satisfied 
without it. It refuses to pass along a dependent series 
of causes and effects without resting in something that 
is first and independent. That there must be a first 
Cause, is a primitive belief, a proposition that lies be- 
yond the pale of demonstration. 

The good old way in which men have reasoned from 
the beginning is upwards from the evidences of a de- 



4 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

sign to a designer, upwards from the goodly collocations 
of matter that meet our view, and the mental phe- 
nomena that come under our consciousness, to the 
great Parent source of all orderly relations of matter 
and mind. And this simple way Is the best way. De- 
sign proves a designer, but It does not prove that the 
designer Is God. The argument from external and visi- 
ble nature leads the way, but unaided by other proofs 
or conceptions, would never conduct us to the Ego sum 
qui sum. The marks of contrivance which are so pal- 
pable in everything we see In the fields of creation, give 
us the logical conclusion that everything has had a con- 
triver. They give us also the idea of great wisdom and 
goodness and power, but of themselves they do not 
give us the proof of a Being possessed of infinite and 
absolute perfections. The argument points, like a 
finger-post, in that direction, but, strictly speaking, we 
leave the argument or It leaves us, and we resign our- 
selves to the necessary conviction that there a Great 
First Designer, and that he Is God. 

From effects we ascend naturally to causes ; and we 
are carried by Inductive philosophy to the highest point 
in the series of material causation. Sir Isaac Newton 
has truly said, " Though every true step in this philos- 
ophy brings us not Immediately to the knowledge of 
the First Cause, yet It brings us nearer to It." Let the 
chain of material causation be lengthened out ever so 
far, we only feel, however, at the topmost link what Is 
felt throughout all the lower links, the necessity of a 
cause above all others In nature, a cause uncaused and 
the cause of all, whose name is God. Plnlte effects, 
indeed, can never of themselves give us an infinite 
cause. The a posteriori argument, strictly speaking, 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 5 

cannot, unaided, carry us up to the throne in heaven, 
and prove that beyond the circle of natural causes and 
effects is the great First Cause of all. But it leads us 
very far onward in that path, and then by a soft and 
imperceptible step, transfers us to the natural convic- 
tion that there is an independent existence who is the 
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the 
First and the Last. 

From the great we pass by a different link to the in- 
finite ; from transcendent attributes we pass to absolute 
perfections, and that link is supplied by the mind itself. 
The transition In most cases is made imperceptibly, but 
it is done. We have a certain primitive conviction that 
there is a Being of necessity and unchanging existence, 
the Maker of all things, and in whom centres. In an in- 
finite degree, every perfection that is found In His 
works. It is thus that we, apart from Scriptural reve- 
lation, rise with a firm step from nature up to nature's 
God! 

The most perfect order of the universe Is a demon- 
stration of a God. There is an evidence of God In 
the field of external nature. Indeed, in man himself 
we have an embodiment of the whole argument. The 
human frame is the noblest structure beneath the 
heavens. In the exquisite mechanism of his body, and 
in the primitive judgments and wondrous operations of 
his mind, we have the clearest indications of the Crea- 
tor that lie within the range of natural theology. If 
you want argument from design, then you see in the 
human frame the most perfect of all known organiza- 
tion. If you want argument from beings then man in 
his conscious dependence has the clearest conviction of 
that independent One on which his own being reposes. 



6 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

If you want the argument from reason and morals, then 
the human mind is the only known repository of both. 
Man is, in fact, a microcosm, — a universe in himself, — 
and whatever proof the whole universe affords is in- 
volved, in principle^ in man himself. With the image of 
God before us, who can doubt of the divine type? 

The solar system is a magnificent clock-work, of un- 
failing perfection. All its stupendous parts influence 
and are influenced by one another, yet all move on in 
absolute harmony. Every orb has its magnitude set off 
by a scale, its materials weighed in a balance, its dis- 
tances measured by a line, and its velocity regulated by 
an infallible law. And in this celestial machinery our 
planet has its place, fitting therein as a wheel into a 
wheel in the works of a chronometer. A mere glance 
at this wonderful system instantly lodges a conviction 
within the mind that it is the contrivance of infinite 
skill, the work of infinite power, and, consequently, that 
there was a time when it had its birth. 

Who can view the glories of the sun and moon, and 
partake of their beneficial influences, and at the same time 
not adore the wisdom, and praise the kindness of their 
Contriver and Maker ! But, above all, should there be 
any found among rational beings so stupid, so vile, so 
infatuated with their vices, as to deny these works to 
be God's, and ascribe them to necessity of nature, or 
indeed a mere nothing, namely, chance ! But such 
there are to be met with among ourselves, and such the 
Prophet tells us of (Isaias v. ii, 12); men who had so 
debauched themselves with drink, and enervated their 
minds by pleasure, that they regarded not the work of 
the Lord, nor considered the operation of His hands. Such 
persons, having led their lives in such a manner as to 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 7 

wish there was no God to call them to account, there- 
fore stupidly ascribe those manifest demonstrations of 
the infinite power and wisdom of God to mere nothing, 
rather than to their Author. 

But may we not, with as good reason, imagine a light- 
ed candle, or a lighthouse, to be the work of chance, 
and not of man, as those glories of the heavens not to 
be the works of God ? For it is very certain that as 
much wisdom, art, and power worthy of God, is shown 
in the lights of the heavens, as there is in those upon 
earth worthy of man, which none can doubt were con- 
trived and made by man. If there be any Being that 
can effect those things, which man, although endowed 
with reason, is not able to effect ; that Being is certain- 
ly greater and stronger and wdser than man. But man 
is not able to make the Heavens ; therefore the Being 
that did make them excels man in art, counsel, pru- 
dence, and power. 

And if the heavens so plainly declare the glory of 
God, and the firmament showeth forth the work of His 
hands (Psal. xviii.) ; if those characters, those impres- 
sions of the Divine Hand, are to be legible, that their 
sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words 
unto the ends of the world, so that there are no speeches 
nor languages where their voices are not heard : what 
power but that of the Almighty could give those celes- 
tial orbs such prodigious projections as they are found 
to have ? orbs that run into such amazingly long ellipses 
as approach to parabolas, that it is wonderful how their 
projectile force should carry them to such immense dis- 
tances, and their gravity at the same time bring them 
back, and wonderfully retain them in their orbs. 

The sun, with all attendant planets, is but a very 



8 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

little part of the grand machine of the universe. Every 
star, though in appearance no bigger than the diamond 
that glitters in a lady's ring, is really a vast globe, like 
the sun in size and in glory, no less spacious, no less 
luminous, than the radiant source of our day. So that 
every star is not barely a world, but the centre of a mag- 
nificent system ; has a retinue of worlds, irradiated by 
its beams, and revolving round its attractive influence. 
All which are lost to our sight, in unmeasurable worlds 
of God. That the stars appear like so many diminutive 
and scarcely distinguishable/^Z/^/i", is owing to their im- 
mense and inconceivable distance. Immense and in- 
conceivable, indeed, it is ; since a ball shot from a loaded 
cannon, and flying with unabated rapidity, must travel, 
at this impetuous rate, almost seven hundred thousand 
years before it could reach the nearest of those twink- 
ling luminaries. Can anything be more wonderful than 
these observations? Yes, there are truths far more stu- 
pendous ; there are scenes far more extensive. As there 
is no end of the Almighty Maker's greatness ; so no 
imagination can set limits to His creating hand. Could 
you soar beyond the moon, and pass through all the 
planetary choir ; could you wing your way to the high- 
est apparent star, and take your stand on one of those 
loftiest pinnacles of Heaven ; you would there see other 
skies expanded ; another sun, distributing his inexhaust- 
ible beams by day ; other stars^ that gild the horrors of 
the alternate night ; and others, perhaps nobler systems, 
established, in unknown profusion, through the bound- 
less dimensions of space. Nor does the dominion of 
the universal Sovereign terminate there. Even at the 
end of this vast tour, you would find yourself advanced 
no further than the suburbs of creation ; arrived only at 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 9 

the frontiers of the great JcJiovaJis kingdom. Lo, these 
are parts of his ways (Job xxvi. 14). And if so, what is 
the Creator Himself? 

As God's works have been shown to be manifest dem- 
onstrations of his existence ; so they are no less of His 
perfections, particularly of His infinite power, wisdom, 
and goodness ; inasmuch as every workman is known by 
his work. A palace that should have nothing defective 
in situation, beauty, or convenience, would argue the 
architect to have been a man of sagacity, and skilful in 
geometry, arithmetic, optics, and all the other mathe- 
matical sciences serving to make a man a complete arch- 
itect ; yea, to have some judgment in physical and nat- 
ural philosophy, too. And so this glorious scene of God's 
Avorks, the Heavens, plainly demonstrates the Work- 
man's infinite wisdom to contrive, His omnipotency to 
make, and His infinite goodness, in being so indulgent 
to all the creatures as to contrive and order all His 
works for their good. For what less than Infinite could 
effect all those grand things which are manifest in the 
Heavens? 

What architect could build such vast masses, and 
such an innumerable company of them, too — what 
mathematician could so exactly adjust their distances ? 
What mechanic so nicely adapt their motions, so well 
contrive their figures, as in the very best manner may 
serve to their preservation and benefit, and the conven- 
ience of the other globes, also ? What naturalist, what 
philosopher, could impregnate every globe with a thing 
of that absolute necessity to its conservation as that of 
gravity is? What optician, what chemist could ever 
have hit upon such a noble apparatus for light and heat, 
as the sun, the moon, and the stars? could amass to- 
I* 



lO THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

gather such a pile of fire as the sun is ? could appoint 
such lights as the moon and other secondaries are? 
None certainly could do these things but God. 

The motion of the heavens and earth — a demonstra- 
tion of God. ** Let us think," says Plato, " how it is 
possible for so prodigious a mass to be carried round 
for so long a time by any natural cause. For which," 
says he, '' I assert God to be the Cause, and that it is 
impossible to be otherwise." If we consider that those 
motions are not at random, but such as show wise de- 
sign and counsel ; if we consider that the motions and 
orbits of the planets do not interfere with one another, 
but tend one and the same way — from west to east — 
and lie in planes but little inclined to one another, or 
when inclined, that it should be very beneficially so ; 
what could all this be but the work of a wise and kind, 
as well as omnipotent Creator, and orderer of the world's 
affairs ? a work which is as plain a signal of God as that 
of a clock, or other machine, is of man. And Aristotle 
argues (Physic, lib, viii., c. 5) : '' Everything that is 
moved must of necessity be moved by something ; and 
that thing must be moved by something that is moved 
either by another, or not by another, thing. If it be 
moved by that which is moved by another, we must of 
necessity," saith he, " come to some prime mover, that 
is not moved by another. For it is impossible that what 
moveth and is moved by another, shall proceed in in- 
jinitumr Our minds cannot be satisfied with a series 
of successive, dependent causes and effects, without 
something first and independent. We pass from effect 
to cause, and from that to a higher cause, in search of 
something on which the mind can rest ; but if we can 
do nothing but repeat this process, there is no use in it. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. II 

We move our limbs, but make no advance. Our ques- 
tion i*^ not answered, but evaded. The mind cannot ac- 
quiesce in the destiny thus presented to it, of being re- 
ferred from event to event, from object to object, along 
an interminable vista of causation and time. Now, this 
mode of stating the reply — to say that the mind cannot 
thus be satisfied^ appears to be equivalent to saying that 
the mind is conscious of a principle, in virtue of which 
such a view as this must be rejected ; the mind takes 
refuge in the assumption of a First Cause, from an em- 
ployment inconsistent with its own nature. 

Thus the motions of the earth, and of the heavens, 
are so many manifestations and demonstrations of an 
Infinite Being, that hath imparted motion unto them ; 
and, consequently, so many proofs of an Almighty first 
mover. 

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD COLLECTED BY THE HEA- 
THENS FROM THE WORKS OF THE HEAVENS. 

The first, and most ready and natural deduction we 
can make from such a glorious scene of workmanship as 
is before represented, is to consider who the great 
workman was. 

That the author of all this glorious scene of things 
was God, is such a conclusion that even the most igno- 
rant and barbarous part of mankind have been able to 
make, from the manifest signals visible therein ; signals 
so plain and conclusive, as Cicero remarks, " Among all 
tribes of animals, none but man hath any sense of a 
God ; and among mankind there is no nation so savage 
and barbarous which, although ignorant of what god it 
ought to have, yet well knows it ought to have one " 



i^ THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

(Lib. de Leg.). And after the same manner, Seneca says : 
" There is no nation in the world so void of law and 
morality as not to believe but there are some gods." 
Nay, so positive he is in this matter that, in another 
place, he expressly says: '^ They lie that say they be- 
lieve there is no God, for although by day they may af- 
firm so to thee, yet by night they are to themselves 
conscious of the contrary " (Epist. 117). Much more 
could I cite out of this famous heathen ; but one pas- 
sage relating to the heavens shall suffice, and that is in 
his discourse showing " why evils befall good men, see- 
ing there is a Divine Providence." He takes it for 
granted in this discourse that there is a Divine Power 
and Providence governing the world ; that the world 
could not stand without some ruler ; that so regular 
motions of the stars could not be the effects of a fortui- 
tous force ; that this undisturbed velocity, which bears 
the weight of so many things, in the earth and seas ; so 
great a number of heavenly lights, both very illustrious, 
and also shining by a manifest disposal, must needs 
proceed by the direction of some eternal law : that this 
can never be the order of straggling matter ; neither is 
it possible for things fortuitously and rashly combined 
to depend upon, and manifest, so much art. 

The opinion of all nations concerning the Deity is 
manifest from the deductions which they have made 
from God's works, particularly from the heavens ; 
namely, that there is a God. Such as have denied the 
existence of God, and have deduced His works from 
chance, etc., are singular and monstrous in their opinions. 
Thus saith ^lian : There never was any barbarian that 
condemned the Deity ; nor called in question whether 
there be any gods or no ; or whether they take care of 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 3 

human affairs. No man, neither Indian nor Celt, nor 
Egyptian, ever entertained any such thought as Hu- 
merus, Epicurus, etc. {" De Van Hist.," lib. ii., c. 3 1). So 
one of Plato's arguments for the proof of a God is: 
" The unanimous consent of all, both Greeks and bar- 
barians who confess there are gods " {" De Legibus," lib. 
X.). And Plutarch similar to what our Psalmist affirms : 
" The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the 
firmament declareth the work of His hands " (Psal. 
xviii. 2), tells us whence they collected this knowledge 
of a Deity. " Men," says he, ^' began to acknowledge 
a God, when they saw the stars maintain so great a 
harmony, and the days and nights through all the year, 
both summer and winter, to observe their stated risings 
and settings" (" De placit.," lib. i., c. 6). To these evi- 
dences I might have added many others, but it would be 
needless, as well as tedious, since these have given us 
the sense of mankind, as well as their own opinion in the 
matter. I shall only deduce one thing more, namely : 
^' What," saith Cicero, " can be so plain and so clear, 
as when we behold the heavenly bodies, that we should 
conclude there is some Deity of a most excellent mind, 
by which these things are governed ? a present, an 
almighty God, which he that doubts of, I do not un- 
derstand, saith he, why he should not as well doubt 
whether there be a sun or no that shines " (" De Nat. 
Deor.," lib. ii., c. 2). 

Thus the heavens declare the glory of God, even to 
the heathen world ; so manifestly are they the handi- 
works of God. 

The testimony of the sacred Scripture now comes 
and crowns the theistic argument. It authenticates 
the deductions of enlightened reason, and confirms 



14 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

those primitive judgments whereby we repose in the 
belief that God is, and that He is what He is. 

The very first sublime utterance of inspiration, In 
the beginning God created heaven and earth, sets its seal 
that our reasoning upwards from matter and mind to 
the Infinite creating mind is true. 

The sacred Scripture presupposes the divine exist- 
ence, and never formally attempts to prove it. And if 
men will not believe on the ground of this evidence — • 
the material phenomena that lie around us, and the 
mental phenomena that arise within us, and the super- 
added evidences of revealed truth — neither would they 
believe though the Eternal uttered His voice from the 
rent heavens, and declared what He has done in His 
word. *' I am God, and besides me there is none else." 

Thus far the proof has been dogmatic ; but after all, 
to use the weighty words of Dr. Arnald : " The real 
proof is the practical one ; that is, let a man live on the 
hypothesis of its falsehood, and the practical result will 
be bad ; that is, a man's besetting and constitutional 
faults will not be checked ; and some of his noblest 
feelings will be unexercised, so that if he be right in 
his opinions, truth and goodness are at variance with 
one another, and falsehood is more favorable to our 
moral perfections than truth ; which seems the most 
monstrous conclusion which the human mind can pos- 
sibly arrive at" ("Life of Arnald," Vol. U., p. i). 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 5 



ATHEISM. 

Men may be living without God in the world, and 
yet hold that there is a God in the heavens. It is the 
man who disowns God, who theoretically and practi- 
cally denies His existence, that bears on his brow the 
self-inflicted brand, " I am an Atheist." 

Our age does not lack such daring mortals ; they 
may be found here and there in the schools, and in the 
workshops, wielding the press, or spouting from the ros- 
trum, or taking up the gauntlet on the platform ; but 
in general, the mass of society which is not Christian is 
infidel rather than Atheistical. 

Atheists rest in the dark dogma that the highest 
being is man. People in many parts would turn out 
and look at a real avowed atheist, just as they do at 
some singularly huge foreign animals, with mingled as- 
tonishment and alarm. Faith in God is so inherent in 
the heart of humanity, and so essential to our reason, 
that many wise and good men have doubted if ever 
there lived an intelligent mortal so absolutely destitute 
of religious belief as is implied in Atheism. Addison 
would have told a man who gloried in this distinction 
that he was an impudent liar, and that he knew it. 
Bacon accounted Atheism to be rather in the lip than 
in the heart, and that a contemplative Atheist is a prod- 
igy, a thing unusually rare. '' I confess," says Dr. 
Arnald, " that I believe conscientious Atheism not to 
exist." And it does aooear an incredible thing that 



l6 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

man possessed of intelligence and feeling, standing 
amid this glorious amphitheatre of earth and sky, gaz- 
ing upon the grand and lovely forms, and listening to 
its thousand voices of rapturous praises, can coolly deny 
the existence of Him who sits enthroned above all 

heavens. 

Never was Atheism more boldly manifested than in 
the history of modern Europe. The materialistic 
school of France sent forth an infidel science and litera- 
ture of the broadest stamp, and that school had its dis- 
ciples in many lands. In the '' Systeme de la Nature," 
the celebrated work of Baron d'Holbach, the most ab- 
solute atheism is asserted as openly as the existence of 
God is maintained in any of our treatises on natural 
theology. The grand object of the book being to show 
that there is no God— that there is no such thing as 
mind -nothing beyond or different from the material 
world. The great work of Auguste Comte, which has 
attained for him a wide reputation, is the production of 

a similar school. 

The Revolutionary leaders of France, in the height 
■ of their impiety, not only sought to destroy every ves- 
tige of Christianity by abolishing the Lord's day, alter- 
ing the calendars, plundering and shutting up or con- 
verting into warehouses the various churches; but in 
the climax of their guilt, they brought the convention 
to yield to the cry that the era had come when men 
should cease to fear the Eternal, and in the person of a 
strumpet, enthroned with heathen orgies the goddess 
of Reason as the object of national worship. 

Let the throne in the heavens be declared vacant, 
and the proclamation be made throughout the land that 
there is no God, and society is reft of all its safeguards, 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1/ 

crime is committed without dread of punishment, and 
the vilest passions of the vilest men rush onward with- 
out restraint. For how utterly feeble is the check im- 
posed by human law when, by denying the divine ex- 
istence, they have succeeded in exploding the law of 
God. France was like a troubled sea, a sea of blood 
under the reign of Atheism. 

The people at last recoiled from the impious and 
horrid system. ^' Vengeance belongeth unto me ; I will 
recompense, saith the Lord." 

" The republic of these men without a God," remarks 
Lamartine, "was quickly stranded." 

Sir Isaac Newton sat one day examining a new 
artificial globe of superior design and workmanship, 
when an atheistic friend with whom he had had fre- 
quent discussions, entered the room, and after admir- 
ing the new globe, asked the very natural question, 
"Who made it ? " To which the philosopher replied, 
" Nobody ; it happened." Such answer to such ques- 
tion strikes us at once as not only unreasonable but ab- 
surd, and yet it is substantially the answer the Atheist 
must give to the question, " Who made the world ? " 

It is strictly true that from nothing, nothing can pro- 
ceed. Something must have existed before all finite 
beings, or whence came these finite beings into exist- 
ence ? T/ia^ somethi7ig must be self-existent, underived, 
necessary, and eternal. It is He who is the I ain^ and 
to whom we apply the sublime language of the ancient 
prophet : '' Before the mountains were made, or the 
earth and the world were formed ; from eternity and to 
eternity thou art God " (Psalm Ixxxix. 2). 

Creation with the pantheist is not a free act, but an 
inevitable necessity, Hegel says God did not create the 



l8 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

world ; He is eternally creating it ; and the men of the 
Emerson school tell us that the world is " a production 
of God in the unconscious." We, according to enlight- 
ened reason and spiritual truth, have been wont to believe 
that God existed independently from eternity in a state 
of absolute perfection, and that of His own good pleas- 
ure He called the universe into being^. 

Moses began his historical narrative by declaring, " In 
the beginning God created heaven and earth," The 
pious in all ages, on looking over all creation, have said, 
^' Our God made the heavens/* and the heavenly in- 
habitants cry : " Thou hast created all things, and for 
Thy pleasure they are and were created." But accord- 
ing to the pantheist, this is all a delusion. The divine 
free will is a nonentity. 

Baron Humboldt in his " Cosmos " makes no refer- 
ence to a living Omnipotent God. He sinks the spir- 
itual in the material. After having travelled over a 
considerable portion of the earth's surface, and made 
himself acquainted with all that is at present known 
of the physical phenomena of the universe, the illus- 
trious German thus acknowledges, in the midst of 
his fourscore years, no higher agency than inherent 
material forces acting under the government of a 
primordial necessity. Divine providence is thus in- 
terdicted ; and this good universe moves onward, 
unfolding its forms of life and grandeur, without 
the hand of Him that made it. This may consist 
with Hegelianism or with some other form of tran- 
scendental philosophy, but it does not consist with the 
deeper philosophy of man's inward nature. It might 
do if we had heads and no hearts. The intellect may 
rest in it for a while, but the soul with its capacities 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I9 

and cravings cannot repose there for a moment. Our 
very heartstrings must be torn out, and all our upward 
asp-rations repressed before we can be satisfied with 
this thing of fate, this primordial necessity, in the room 
of the living and ever-ruling God. Even in an aesthetic 
view this method of philosophy stands condemned. 
The sacred Scriptures declare God infinitely perfect, 
therefore without end (Psal. cxliv.). 

Men of the anti-miracle school of Germany — Spinoza, 
Paulus, Strauss — who adopt as a fundamental principle 
the impossibility of supernatural intervention, must 
either deny that God is, or deprive Him of His person- 
ality. Once admit the existence of a personal God, 
Himself uncaused and the cause of all, and you cannot 
rationally deny that He may interpose in the concerns 
of the universe. 

Grant that the Almighty intervened in calling into 
existence the first creation, and you cannot reasonably 
withhold your assent that if evidence in support of it 
exist, he may have intervened in originating Christian- 
ity, the second creation. 

The rationalist who, in the face of all evidence, takes 
up the position that miracles are impossible, must be 
driven back to another position, viz.: the non-existence 
of a Being who can perform supernatural works. Strauss 
in maintaining the impossibility of miracles, as well as 
Hume in asserting their incredibility, have been fla- 
grantly guilty of a pctitio principii — a begging of the 
question. It Is nothing more than his ipse dixit. 

It Is certainly an undeniable truth that neither the 
wisdom of God, nor the credit of His inspired book, is 
impaired by any miracle we find in it. 

The ridiculous notions maintained by free-thinkers in 



20 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

their writings scarcely deserve serious refutation ; and 
perhaps the best method of answering them would be 
to select from their works all the absurd and impracti- 
cal notions, which they so stiffly maintain in order to 
evade the belief of the Christian religion. I shall here 
throw together a few of their principal tenets, under 
the contradictory title of The Unbeliever s Creed : 

I believe that there is no God, but that matter is 
God, and that God is matter; and that it is no matter 
whether there is any God, or no. 

I believe, also, that the world was not made ; that it 
will last forever, world without end. 

I believe that a man is a beast, that the soul is the 
body, and that the body is the soul ; and after death 
there is neither body nor soul. 

I believe that there is no religion, that natural religion 
is the only religion, and that all religion is unnatural. 

I believe not in Moses ; I believe in the first philoso- 
phy ; I believe not the Evangelists ; I believe in Chubb, 
Toland, Tyndal ; I believe in Voltaire, Paine, and Lord 
Bolingbroke ; I believe in Baron d'Holbach ; I believe 
not St. Paul. 

I believe not Revelation : I believe in the Talmud ; I 
believe in the Alcoran. I believe not the Bible ; I be- 
lieve in Socrates, in Confucius. I believe in Mahomet ; 
I believe not in Christ. Lastly, I believe in all unbelief. 

O kind reader ! plunge not into eternity with brains 
tuned with such madness as this. Is your confidence 
built on the mercy of God without a Saviour? But 
God out of Christ " is a consuming fire." Embalm in 
your heart the counsel of eternal wisdom : *' Cease not, 
O my son, to hear instruction, and be not ignorant of 
the words of knowledge " (Prov. xix. 27). 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 21 



THE VICARIOUS SACRIFICE. 

All must agree that men, by violating the just and 
holy laws of God, become obnoxious to His just anger, 
unless they in some way satisfy His justice — as a con- 
vict criminal who has not satisfied, or is indebted to the 
law, until he has suffered the punishment for his crime 
which the law thinks fit to inflict, or else finds favor, 
and has it remitted him. The iniquities of mankind 
outnumber the stars in heaven^ and the sand upon the sea- 
shore. Every sin is a violation of the laws of God, and 
has weight enough to sink a soul into eternal ruin ; and 
the reason is because sin is an opposition to God, the 
highest authority, whose laws are most just and equita- 
ble, and because, moreover, we have an infinite obliga- 
tion to obey Him, both as His creatures and dependents, 
who live by His favor and bounty. 

The sinner is infinitely indebted to God's justice, and 
unless some miracle of mercy intervene, the Divine 
justice cannot be satisfied but by his undergoing an in- 
finite punishment. And all must acknowledge it just 
that sin, being the greatest possible evil, should be re- 
paid with the greatest possible, that is, eternal pun- 
ishment. 

So vast a debt, then, lying upon all mankind by reason 
of their sins ; it is most true that it was utterly impossi- 
ble for them, of themselves, ever to clear this 'debt, and 
make full satisfaction to the Divine justice ; and the sad 
consequences, should it have still remained upon record, 



2^ THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

would have been no less than eternal misery. Nor is 
there anything valuable enough in all the treasures of 
nature to buy off this sentence, jitst though sad : The soul 
that simicth sJiall die. All men that ever lived must have 
been involved in it, had not the wisdom and goodness 
of God found out a means both to satisfy His justice, 
and, at the same time, to be merciful to His miserable 
creatures ; to forgive the debt to those that had nothing 
to pay, and yet to have full satisfaction made Him for 
it. It is what could never have entered into the heart 
of man to conceive ; it is the great mystery of Divine 
love, which even the angels desire to look into, and it 
is that which is and shall be the subject of eternal Alle- 
luias in heaven. That which exalts the compassion of 
God to the highest degree, and makes it indeed miracu- 
lous, is the amazing course He took, thus to show mercy 
in the pardon of sinners, and yet to satisfy His justice, 
too. 

God had before solemnly declared to our first parents, 
and very often afterward, that tJie soul that sinned it 
should die ; and His justice was concerned to see that 
sentence executed ; and in the nature of the thing, like- 
wise, it was but what ought to be — that the violators of 
God's holy and good commands, ungrateful rebels against 
their Creator and greatest Benefactor, should receive a 
due recompense for their wickedness. Now, justice is 
as essential to God as mercy ; and though His infinite 
goodness moved Plim to have compassion upon sinners, 
yet His justice pleaded for punishment ; mercy would 
remit the debt, but justice required satisfaction. A dif- 
ficulty this which mortal wit could never solve. But 
God, who is infinitely wise, as well as good and just, 
that the work of His hands might not perish, nor His 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 23 

image and likeness be forever miserable, and that His 
justice, likewise, might be fully satisfied ; contrived a 
marvellous way for the redemption of sinners, by freely 
forgiving them their vast debt, and yet making full sat- 
isfaction to His justice for the sins of the whole world. 
And that was, by the Incarnation of His blessed Son, 
and substituting Him in our stead to suffer, as the rep- 
resentative of mankind, the punishment due to their in- 
iquities, and by His spotless Blood to make a universal 
atonement, and through the merits of that. His precious 
Sacrifice (for what is above the merit of the Blood of 
the Son of God ?), to purchase for them pardon and for- 
giveness, the love and favor of God in this world, and 
eternal enjoyment of Him in the next; and by this 
means, as St. Paul expresses it, to declare His justice : 
"that He himself may be just, and the Justifier of him. 
who is of the faith of Jesus Christ " (Rom. iii. 26). Thus 
mercy and truth are miraculously met together, and 
justice and peace have kissed each other. What love 
can be greater than this, that God should send His eter- 
nal Son into the world to be the propitiation for sinners ! 
And that, while we are enemies, Christ should die for us 
and bear our sins in His own body on the tree, that, 
through His stripes, we might be healed ! 

The Jews, to this day, speak of Jesus as one who suf- 
fered according to the law of God, for seducing the Is- 
raelites from the faith of their forefathers. The prophet 
gives a different view of Christ's death. Instead of dying 
for His own sins. He was wounded for our transgres- 
sions. There is no passage of Scripture in which the 
substitution of Christ's sufferings in place of those of 
the sinner is more clearly revealed than in Isa. liii. No 
one speaks more explicitly on this great mystery than our 



24 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

prophet, many hundred years before It was accomplished : 
'' Surely, He hath borne our infirmities, and carried our 
sorrows; He was wounded for our iniquities. He was 
bruised for our sins ; the chastisement of our peace was 
upon Him, and by His bruises we are healed." 

All Christians agree that men are sinners, and that 
sin deserves punishment; but when we come to ask 
how it may be forgiven, and for what consideration God 
forgives it, we begin to differ. The Trinitarian doctrine 
is that the eternal Son of God, the uncreated, and equal 
with the Father, became incarnate, and suffered \.\i^ pun- 
ishment of our sins as our substitute ; and for the sake of 
what He has done we may be forgiven. They who are 
opposed to us, on the other hand, believe that Christ, 
a created being, but still so very exalted that He may 
be called a God, yet not the supreme God, took our 
nature upon Him that He might teach men a purer re- 
ligion than was ever before known, and set before them 
a perfect example, and thus draw them away from their 
sins ; so that He saves us from our sins, not by atoning 
for them, but just as any merely good man does who 
so teaches and practices as to lead men from sin to holi- 
ness. While engaged in this work they assert that the 
Jews seized upon the Saviour and put Him to death ; 
and Jesus, to show that He was persuaded of the truth 
of what He had taught, gave Himself up to die just as 
the martyrs sealed their testimony with their blood, 
and that thus Christ may be said to have died for us, 
because He met His death in seeking to do us good. 
In a word, they all deny entirely the substitution of 
Christ in our place, to bear the punishment of our 
sins ; we affirm it. They expect to be saved through 
their repentance ; by the mercy of God we expect salva- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 2$ 

tion through the sole merits of the suffering Son of 
God. 

There is certainly a great difference, then, between 
saying that Christ was created and uncreated ; that He 
died to bear the punishment of our sins, and that it was 
only to confirm His doctrines ; that we are saved by our 
merits or repentance, and that we are saved entirely by 
the merits of another. We regard Christ as the Al- 
mighty substitute for a whole world of sinners, taking 
their punishment upon Himself, and by virtue thereof 
offering pardon to all who will come unto Him by faith 
and repentance. This doctrine of the Catholic Church 
is sustained by the sacred Scripture. 

"He was wounded for our transactions." . . . "All 
we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned 
aside into his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him 
the iniquity of us all " (Isa. liii. 4-6). What would 
any unprejudiced reader gather from such expressions, 
but that the punishment of a world of iniquities was 
laid upon Christ ? The prophet says, " the chastise- 
ment of our peace was upon Him." Now, a chastise- 
ment is a punishment of a fault, and for whose fault 
was Christ chastised? Not for His own, certainly, for 
He was perfectly innocent. Therefore, if He was 
chastised it was as a punishment for sin, and if He had 
no sin of His own, it must have been for that of others. 

Christ's sufferings were not so much from man as 
from God, not bodily so much as of the soul. " The 
Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." It 
pleased the Lord to bruise Him. God made Christ's 
sou/f not His body alone, an offering for sin ; and such 
in fact was the case. Li the garden of Gethsemane, 
when no hand of man had touched Him, His soul was 



26 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death ; and so far as 
expressions enable us to judge, we should think that 
He endured more there than when He was on the cross ; 
for He sweated "as it were great drops of blood, fall- 
ing down to the ground." 

Now, what caused this anguish of mind ? Was it the 
fear of death? Certainly not, and we should be almost 
ashamed of the Saviour if the mere dread of anticipated 
death could have wrung drops of blood from Him in 
the garden, when the martyrs have stood hour after 
hour in the midst of the fire, and sung canticles of 
praise ; they long hung upon the cross, and comforted 
friends as if they v/ere lying upon a bed of roses. It 
must be ever remembered that Christ's death was not a 
mere martyrdom. A martyr is one who dies for relig- 
ion's sake, who is put to death for preaching and main- 
taining the truth. Christ, indeed, was put to death for 
preaching the Gospel ; yet He was not a martyr, but 
He was much more than a martyr. Had He been a 
mere man. He would have been rightly called a martyr; 
but as He was not a mere man, so He was not a mere 
martyr. Man dies as a martyr, but the Son of God 
dies as an Atoning Sacrifice. 

Christ had something more to endure than mere 
bodily anguish, and this is very evident from the whole 
narrative of His death. All the complaints of Christ's 
suffering were made when no hand of man was upon 
Him. Did He cry out when they scourged Him? Did 
He when they drove the nails or when they raised the 
cross to its place with that sudden jerk which was said 
to cause dislocation of the limbs ? These were the 
points of time when we should suppose His bodily an- 
guish would have been greatest, and yet then not a 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 2/ 

complaint was heard. It was in the garden, and it was 
again on the cross during the three hours of darkness 
when men had ceased to revile Him, that He cried out 
in agony, and then it was not of men that He com- 
plained, but of God: "My God, my God, why hast 
Thou forsaken me?" (Matt, xxvii. 46). "My Father! 
let this chalice pass from me," as if God was putting 
Him to grief and afflicting His soul. 

Now, if Jesus Christ was only a martyr. He ought 
to have had divine supports in His dying hour, yet they 
were withdrawn from Him. If He were only a martyr 
the chief anguish should have been bodily, but that of 
Jesus was mental, and His bodily sufferings wrung from 
Him no complaint. 

We can easily solve this difficulty. We believe that 
when Jesus Christ suffered on the cross our nature suf- 
fered in Him, and thus, as St. Paul says : " If one died 
for all, then did all die." " Our old man is crucified in 
Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed." We 
believe that in the death of Jesus it was literally true 
that " it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, and to put 
Him to grief, and the Lord then made His soid an of- 
fering for sin." We believe that in that hour in Geth- 
semane God wdiS crowding the sufferings which the sins 
of a world deserved upon the innocent Jesus, and that 
He was made willing to bear them for us. We believe 
that He was tasting in that chalice which He prayed 
might pass away, and yet submissively took as much of 
the misery of hell as He could possibly endure. We 
believe that when He cried out on the cross, "My 
God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? "that it 
was not an unfounded complaint, but that God had 
forsaken Him to some degree as He does the spirits in 



28 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

torment, and had given Him to know, as far as He 
could know, what we should have experienced if God 
had cast us off forever. In all this transaction His 
soul bore miseries that ours would have borne if He 
had not died, so that " God made to meet upon Him 
the iniquity of us all," and " the chastisement of our 
peace was upon Him." 

Dark as was that night in Gethsemane, and dark as 
were those hours on the cross, there was a deeper dark- 
ness upon the soul of the Redeemer, for the blackness 
of the pit involved Him, and the sunlight and the light 
of God's countenance were at the same time withdrawn 
from Him. 

Mysterious hour of our Saviour's passion ! We 
would not rashly intrude upon it, or seek in vain curi- 
osity to pry into its secrets ! But we read that, " God 
should afflict His soul," and lay our sins upon Him, 
and here we find that His soul was afflicted by God, 
therefore we conclude that here our sins were laid 
upon Him, and that thus the great atonement was 
made. If He was a martyr He might have died peace- 
fully ; but He was the sinner's substitute. He was laden 
with the sins of the whole world as the Lamb of Jew- 
ish offering was with the sins of the offerer. No won- 
der that He groaned under such a burden, that He 
sweat drops of blood, that He cried out to God who 
had forsaken Him. This explains also the whole Jew- 
ish sacrificial system, where so many thousand victims 
died in the place of sinners, to typify Christ the Lamb 
of God dying In the room of a world of sinners, and this 
explains all those texts which speak of Christ as " dying 
the Just for the unjust," as "giving His life a ransom 
for all," as "the propitiation for our sins." 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 29 

We cannot stop now to answer the objections which 
are made against this view, such as the injustice of lay- 
ing our sins upon an innocent sufferer, which of course 
involves no injustice if He voluntarily took them upon 
Himself. Our only aim in this chapter has been to 
show that Christ was our substituted victim, dying in 
our place, receiving in His soul that which our souls 
deserved to receive, and so " reconciling us to God " 
**by His own body on the tree." If the doctrine of 
Christ's substitution be true, we are to seek salvation 
by His merits and atonement ; if it be not true, we have 
to be saved by our own merits or repentance. The Uni- 
tarian goes in the presence of God with his load of sins, 
just as a man might go into the presence of one to 
whom he owed an immense debt, trusting to the good 
nature of his creditor to be forgiven. The Trinitarian 
goes before his God with the like debt of sin, but 
pleading that Christ has taken it upon Himself and 
paid it for him, and looking to the atonement as the 
consideration for which it may be cancelled. It will be 
seen that there is a vast difference between the two. 
And, after all, the question is not what we may think 
right, but what God has appointed. He is sinned 
against, and it is for Him to say how the debt shall be 
forgiven. If He has appointed forgiveness through 
Christ's substitution, it is not for us to affirm that He 
will forgive us on our own repentance, without that 
substituted offering. We believe that " Jesus Christ is 
the way," and that " without shedding of His blood there 
is no remission." We believe that " our sins were laid 
on Him," in the Garden and on the Cross, and " by 
His stripes we are healed." 

Let me view this beautiful, this magnificent expanse, 



30 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

and conceive somejuster apprehensions of the unknown 
richness of my Saviour's atonement. I am informed 
by a writer who cannot mistake, that the High-Priest 
of my profession, who was also the sacrifice for my sins, 
is higher than the heavens (Heb. vii.), more exalted in 
dignity, more bright with glory, than all the heavenly 
mansions, and all their illustrious inhabitants. If my 
heart was humbled at the consideration of its excessive 
guilt, how do all my drooping powers revive at this de- 
lightful thought ! The poor criminal, that seemed to 
be tottering on the very brink of the eternal pit, is 
raised by such a belief, even to the portals of paradise. 
I do not, I cannot doubt the efificacy of this propitia- 
tion. While I see a glimpse of its matchless excellency, 
and verily believe in its merits, I know not what it is 
to feel any misgiving suspicions ; but am steadfast in 
faith, and joyful through hope. Be my iniquities like 
debts of millions of talents, here is more than full pay- 
ment for all that prodigious sum. Let the enemy of 
mankind, and accuser of the brethren, load me with 
invectives ; this one plea, a divine Redeemer died, most 
thoroughly annulled every indictment. For though 
there be much turpitude, and manifold transgressions, 
''there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ 
Jesus." Nay, were I chargeable with all the vilest 
deeds which have been committed in every age of the 
world, by every nation of men ; even in this most de- 
plorable case, I need not sink into despair. Even such 
guilt, though grievous beyond all expression, is not to 
be compared with that abundance of grace and righteous- 
ness, which dwell in the mzdiXVidX^ divinity. How great, 
how transcendently glorious, are the perfections of the 
adored Jehovah! So great, so superlatively precious 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 31 

is the expiation of the dying Jesus. It is impossible 
for the human mind to exalt this atonement too highly; 
it is impossible for the humble penitent to confide in it 
too steadily. The Scriptures of eternal truth have 
said it, that the blood on which we rely is God's own 
blood (Acts XX. 28), and therefore all-sufficient to expi- 
ate, omnipotent to save. 



32 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



THE GREAT MYSTERY OF CHRIST'S 
INCARNATION. 

The Incarnation of the Son of God is a summary 
comprehension of the Christian faith : God manifested 
in tJie fiesh. This is the main principle, the chief oracle 
of the Christian belief; the first stone in the founda- 
tion of the Church, the main basis that supports the 
Pillar of trutJi, Christy God incarnate ; God manifested 
in the flesh. First, see this glorious description of our 
Christian faith : '' And evidently (without controversy) 
great is the; mystery of godliness, which was manifested 
in the flesh" (i Tim. iii. i6). A magnificent preface 
and introduction ushering in this sacred truth ; requir- 
ing not only the assent, but the obedience, nay, the de- 
votion and adoration of our faith. When He brings 
His First-begotten into the world. He proclaims before 
Him : " Let all the angels of God worship Him, let 
every knee bow before Him, let every tongue confess 
to Him." St. Paul cannot mention Christ, or the mys- 
tery of the Gospel, but he breaks forth into all possible 
expressions of words, into all terms of admiration. In- 
deed all God's works are wonderful. As David medi- 
tating on the works of creation (Psal. cxxxix. 17): 
*' How precious are Thy thoughts unto me, O God, how 
great is the sum of them ! " True ; but the work of re- 
demption, this masterpiece of God's power, and wisdom 
in His Son's Incarnation, the Scripture puts upon it all 
titles and attributes of power and excellency : The 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 33 

word of tnith (Col. i. 5). The word of the kingdom 
(Matt. xlii. 19). The words of God (i Pet. iv. 1 1). The 
counsel of God (Acts xx. 27). A faithful saying, worthy 
of all acceptation (i Tim. i. 15). And out of all these 
put together, arises a short, but yet full, complete defini- 
tion of all divinity; a compendious epitome of all 
religion. 

The Christian religion, faith and divinity, it is un- 
questionably great mystery of godliness. A few words, 
yet the full title, and epitome of the Scripture, the sum 
of all sacred truth. What is the use and end of Scrip- 
ture? " To instruct us to salvation by the faith which 
is in Jesus Christ " (2 Tim. iii. 15). To acquaint us 
with the mystery of godliness. It is the grand text of 
all sermons ; the argument and theme of all theologi- 
cal discourses ; the marrow and kernel of all discourses ; 
the drift and centre of all the meditations of saints and 
angels. 

God manifested in the flesh. This is a mystery. It 
is the title of the Gospel : '' To you it is given to know 
the mystery of the kingdom of God " (Mark iv. 1 1) ; 
that is the Gospel. " We speak the wisdom of God in a 
mystery" (i Cor. ii. 17); "a mystery which was kept 
secret from eternity" (Rom. xvi. 25). 

Now to understand the nature of it ; a myster^^ is 
sacrum secretum, occult am habens intelligentiam ; a holy 
secret the understanding and knowledge of which, is 
close and concealed. And then is ©so? ev (yapxl, the 
sum of Christianity, a mystery ; it carries with it these 
conditions : First of all, is it a mystery ? then it is in itself 
full of secrecy and obscurity, naturally unknown, veiled 
up in great reservedness. It is called an hidden mystery : 
" The mystery which hath been hidden from ages and 



34 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

generations" (Col. i. 26). i. " Hidden in God " (Ephes. 
iii. 9) ; locked up in the closet of His breast. 2. Hid- 
den in Christ (Colos. ii. 3). *' In him are hid all the 
treasure of wisdom and knowledge." 3. Hidden in the 
Scripture, which is veiled up with many mysteries ; a 
book in itself sealed with seven seals ; no man or angel 
is able fully to open it (Rev. vi. 3). 4. Hidden in those 
types, and shadows, and ceremonies of the Law. 5. 
Nay, even the Gospel, though that brings this to some 
light, yet it is but imperfectly discovered, still a great 
part is hidden ; there is no clear discovery. We know 
but in part ; faith sees not clearly ; adhuc manifestat se 
nobis sictit viilt non sicitt est (St. Bernard). He doth not 
yet fully disclose Himself to us. 

It is a mystery, therefore the knowledge of it is a 
matter of revelation, not to be known by the light of 
nature, but it is of supernatural discovery. The eye of 
nature cannot see it, nor the ear of nature hear it, nor 
did it ever enter into the heart of a natural man ; but 
God hath revealed it to lis by His Spirit (i Cor. ii. 9, 
10). All other knowledge has some prints and foot- 
steps in nature, but this is a mere novelty to nature. 
Herein it exceeds the perfection of the Law; that is 
written in our hearts by nature ; light of reason discov- 
ers the truth of the Law ; but the Gospel is not inbred 
in us, it must be revealed and discovered by God Him- 
self. We cannot see the sun, but by the light of the 
sun ; nor know Christ, till Himself discovers Himself. 
St. Paul prays that they may have the spirit of revela- 
tion. 

Therefore the discovery of the mystery of the Gos- 
pel is a matter of dispensation ; a voluntary discovery 
to whom God pleases, and as much as He pleases. 



THE MEASURE OF THE Vv^ORLD. 35 

This Christ proclaims : " Thou hast hid these things 
from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to 
little ones : Yea, Father, for so hath it seemed good in 
Thy sight " (Matt. xi. 25, 26). This will answer all 
questions, and that of Judas (not the Iscariot) to Christ 
(John xiv. 22) : " Lord, how is it that Thou wilt mani- 
fest Thyself to us, and not to the world ? " For natural 
knowledge, He enlightens everj/ man that comes into the 
zvorld (John i. 9). But this knowledge He dispenses 
at pleasure, less to the Jews, more to the Christians. 
To the prophets, it was the light of a candle ; to the 
apostles, the light of the day-star : Hereafter we shall 
see the sun in his shining beauty. 

To communicate His secret thoughts, the mysteries 
of His will, is a fruit of greatest love. You are my 
friejids, S3.YS Christ, for I tell yotc all things. St. John 
learnt it in the bosom of Christ ; and he was the be- 
loved disciple ; he lay on the bosom, the seat of affec- 
tion, and of secrets too. One dram of this knowledge 
is better than the knowledge of all the secrets of na- 
ture. 

We must not approach to the looking into these mys- 
teries, but with much fear and reverence. How hath 
God exacted holiness, in all that draw near to be par- 
takers of His sacred mysteries ? Put off thy shoes, it is 
holy ground. When God came down on the mount, 
they were all to wash and cleanse themselves ; it was 
death to come irreverently. Nadab and Abiu were de- 
stroyed by fire for an unhallowed approach (Levit. x.). 
*' The Lord will be sanctified in them that approach to 
Him " (verse 3). Even many thousand men were 
slain for an irreverent approach to the Ark (the type 
of our mysteries). The great charge which God laid 



36 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

upon the Jews, and for which He threatened to remove 
His worship from them to the Gentiles, was profanation. 
They profaned His worship, defiled the table of the 
Lord, and made that which was laid thereupon con- 
temptible (Mai. i. 12). 

The mysteries of religion are not slightly, or vainly, 
or sportingly to be handled ; but heedfully, soberly, 
with all venerable attention. The minister who speaks 
of them, how holily must he handle them. " Let him 
speak as the words of God " (i Pet. iv. ii). 

It was the charge of the priests in the Old Law : *' Be 
ye clean, you that carry the vessels of the Lord " (Isa. 
lii. 11). This made Moses cry out : "I beseech Thee, 
Lord, send whom Thou wilt send " (Exod. iv. 13). 
And St. Paul to cry out : " Who is so sufficient for 
these things?" (2 Cor. ii. 16). In these mysteries we 
must be wise to sobriety ; gravity and sobriety are the 
handmaids of piety ; they are the ushers that always 
attend religion. We must " be wise unto sobriety " 
(Rom. xii. 3). 

Religion and the Christian doctrine are a mystery, 
therefore to be apprehended by faith, not to be fath- 
omed by reason. Reason will judge that to be a fool- 
ery which faith reverences and adores as a mystery. 
It is called the mystery of faith (i Tim. iii. 9), not the 
mystery of reason or understanding. And they who 
are initiated into these mysteries, are called believers, 
not men of reason and understanding. 

We are called credentes jzot rationales^ says St. Au- 
gustine. It is not intelligendi vivacitas, but credendi 
sintplicitas, that must converse in these mysteries. 

Reason laughs at that in Sarah, which faith in Abra- 
ham embraces and rejoices in. Faith looks for a reve- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WOULD. 3/ 

lation that God says it is so ; searches not after dem- 
onstration, or reason why it should be so. Siifficit 
pro nnivcrsis rationibiis aitctor Deus. The mysteries of 
religion check and silence reason, as the angel did 
Zachary, for asking: ^'Whereby shall I know this?" 
— he would have reason. What says the angel? " Be- 
hold, thou shalt be dumb " (Luke i. 20) : he stops his 
mouth. Reason, deduced from the principles of Faith, 
and subordinate to the doctrine of Faith, is lawful ; but 
when it opposes Faith, then it is unlawful. Reason 
questions, how can three persons be one Godhead ? 
Faith quiets reason ; my soul, keep thou silent unto 
God ; believe and adore it ; it is a mystery. Reason 
questions, how can God be made man ? the Divinity and 
Humanity joined in one Person? Faith hears an ora- 
cle of Scripture, I must not inquire, it is a mystery. 
Reason murmurs, how can a man be born again, and 
regenerate, and die anew, and live anew? How can 
water wash away sin ? Faith answers : The work is 
spiritual, beyond reason ; it is a myster}^ Reason 
cavils, how can Christ give us His flesh to eat, and His 
blood to drink? How can a form of bread and a taste 
of wine convey grace, seal up salvation ? It is a mys- 
tery. Llagis scntio^ qiiam intelligo : Tota ratio operis^ 
est potentia opcrantis. In these supernatural truths, 
sapientia hominis, officina erroris ; exclude reasoning, 
make use of believing. It is the taste of Faith that 
can relish this hidden manna. 

We have seen the nature of it ; it is a mystery. The 
quantity and just proportion of this mystery^ it is no 
petty and inferior truths but a mystery of the first mag- 
nitude, a great mystery. The Scripture advances it 
with all superlative terms, magnifies the greatness of it. 



38 THE CROSS OF CHPaST 

St. Paul calls it an excellent knowledge : " I esteem 
all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of 
Jesus Christ " (Phil. iii. 8). It is called a rich knozvl- 
edge (Rom. xi. 33). Solomon says it furnishes a man 
'' with all precious and most beautiful wealth " (Prov. 
xxiv. 4). It furnishes and enriches the noblest part of 
man, his soul ; the highest faculty of that, his spirit and 
understanding. Our Saviour accounts the seeking of 
this knowledge the seeking of precious pearls : *' The 
kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking goodly 
pearls *' (Matt. xiii. 45). The finding of this knowledge 
is the finding of an hidden treasure (verse 44). All 
other knowledge is but poverty to this treasure ; all 
other jewels but pebbles to this Pearl. 

See how the Scripture extends and enlarges the 
greatness of this mystery. St. Paul ascribes to it all 
the dimensions of magnitude: "That you may be 
able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the 
breadth, and length, and height, and depth of this mys- 
tery " (Ephes. iii. 18). And Job thus magnifies the in- 
comprehensible largeness of this knowledge : " It is 
higher than heaven, deeper than hell, longer than the 
earth, broader than the sea " (xi. 8, 9). The greatness 
of all other creatures may be fathomed ; the height of 
heaven, the depth of hell, the length of the earth, the 
breadth of the sea, all limited and bounded, and the 
understanding of man may reach them. As David 
speaks, *' I see an end of all other perfections, but Thy 
word is exceeding large." 

This mystery of God-incarnate, God manifested in the 
flssh, is a great mystery because it is midtiplex mys- 
teriuni, a comprehensive truth including in it manifold 
mysteries. Here is the mystery of Christ's two na- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 39 

tures ; His Divinity and His Humanity : a glorious mys- 
tery ! Christ, true and perfect God, and true and perfect 
man also ; the glory of the Deity, and the infirmity of 
His Manhood, both concurring in Him. Here is the 
mystery of the union, and conjoining both these in one. 
A strange conjunction ! The circumference of His in- 
finite Deity, joined to the lowest centre of humanity ; 
Eternity made subject to Time ; Infinity comprehended 
in a poor finite creature ; Omnipotency joined with 
infirmity. This is so great a mystery, that it caused the 
Jews to imagine a double Messias : one, a weak, frail, 
mortal man, liable to sufferings ; the other, an Eternal, 
Omnipotent, Immortal God. They could not reconcile 
the several predictions of His glorious Divinity and His 
infirm Humanity, as this mystery teaches us. Here is 
the mystery of His Person, that both these natures 
should be strangely and admirably united into one per- 
son ; that God and man should be personally one 
Christ, not by a concord of wills, or by a transfusion of 
properties, or by assistance of grace, but by an inward 
union and conjunction of Person. It is a mystery that 
divines have labored to express by any possible simili- 
tudes, and could not do it. 

It is inagninn mysteriuin^ this of Christ's Incarnation. 
It is a grand mystery, because all other mysteries are 
subordinate and serviceable to this ; all sacred truths 
point at this truth ; all, like lines, meet in this centre. 
It is the end and drift of all the sacred prophecies. 
'' To him all the prophets give testimony " (Acts x. 43). 
It was the sum and scope of all their predictions, " All 
the prophets from Samuel and afterwards, who have 
spoken, have foretold of these days " (Acts iii. 24). Of 
this salvation all the prophets have inquired and 



40 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

searched diligently. He is Abraham's promised seed ; 
Moses' great Prophet ; Samuel's anointed King ; Jacob's 
Shiloh ; Isaias' Emmanuel ; Jeremias' man compassed 
by a woman ; Ezechiel's Shepherd ; David's Holy One ; 
Zachary's Branch ; Solomon's Lily ; David's Lord ; 
Malachia's Angel. All that prophesied looked at Him. 
He was Abel's Sacrifice ; Abraham's Firstfruits ; Isaac's 
Ram ; Jacob's Ladder ; Moses' Passover ; Aaron's Rod ; 
the Israelite's Rock ; the Patriarch's Manna ; David's 
Tabernacle ; Solomon's Temple. All types and repre- 
sentations of His Incarnation ; all their kings were fig- 
ures of this great King; all their deliverers and judges, 
types of this great Saviour ; all their priests were ush- 
ers to bring in this High-Priest of our profession. All 
the mysteries in Scripture were serviceable to this mys- 
tery. 

This mystery has far exceeded all mysteries in the 
world. All secrets of nature are but elements and rudi- 
ments to this oracle. The most learned men that can 
search into all natural knowledge, stand gazing at this, 
and cry out, how can this be ? The vanquishing of 
Satan, what victory like this? The birth of God, what 
prince's nativity so honorable ? The laws of the Church, 
the heavenly oracles, what laws so righteous ? The 
privileges of the Gospel, what prerogatives so ample ? 
"Other kings," says St. Chrysostom, '' govern the 
bodies ; this King reigns in the souls of men. Other 
kings fight with bodily weapons ; this King with spir- 
itual. Other kings fight against barbarians ; Christ, 
against devils." All subtleties of art are but mere daub- 
ings and botcheries to this great mystery. That art 
can tame lions, lead tigers : how do we wonder at this ? 
This mystery here can change brutish, savage, barba- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 4 1 

rous men, reduce them to all sobriety and moderation. 
Christ's Incarnation " shall make the wolf dwell with 
the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; 
the calf and lion and the sheep shall abide together, 
and a little child shall lead them " (Isaias xi.). 

Other arts can alter nature, but this doth change it. 
That may polish brass, but not turn it into a purer 
metal. Evangeliiim ferreum vas reddidit aureum. 

It is a great mystery because it is a mystery even to 
all men of the largest capacity, the most clear under- 
standing. As in nature, some things seem very mys- 
terious and obscure to a vulgar understanding, which a 
learned, judicious man can presently comprehend. As 
the eclipse of the sun, an unlearned man wonders at it 
as a great secret of nature, but a scholar counts the 
knowledge of it easy and obvious. So in works of art ; 
an unskilful man will account that a curious piece of 
work which an expert artificer will judge but ordinary. 
But this Oracle and Mystery far exceeds the largest un- 
derstanding. Solomon knew the secrets of nature ; his 
large head was too narrow for it. He confesses, " I 
have not the understanding of a man ; I have not learned 
this wisdom." It is " hid even from the wise and pru- 
dent " (Matt. xi. 25). V/here is the tuise ? Where is the 
scribe? Where is the disputer of this zvorld? (i Cor i. 
20). 

When Christ appeared to Abraham (which was a 
prcBludiiun Incarnationis) he falls on his face and trem- 
bles. When Moses had but a glimpse of this glory, " / 
tremble exceedingly^' saith he. When Daniel approaches 
near it, it lays him for dead. It casts Paul into a rap- 
ture; John lay as a dead man, Excellens objectnm, des- 
truit sensitm. 



42 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

It is a great mystery, not only to human, but even to 
the highest angeHcal understanding : it is a great, deep 
mystery even unto the angels. Those stars of the morn- 
ing (as Job calls them) are overwhelmed with the splen- 
dor of this sun. This great work was concealed from 
them ; it lay hid in the womb of eternity, and they still 
wonder and admire at the greatness of it. See this 
in two places; one is (Ephes. iii. lo): "The manifold 
wisdom of God may be made known to the principali- 
ties and powers in the heavenly places through the 
Church." Another place is (i Pet. i. 12) : " which things 
the angels desire to look into." They stoop down, and 
pry, and desire to look into these glorious mysteries. 
This was prefigured in the two cherubs on the mercy- 
seat, looking back upon the ark and mercy-seat ; and 
they still desire it. They cannot fully comprehend, and 
it is a ravishing sight to them. Strange ! How dull are 
we ! Preach we of Christ made man, it is milk for babes ; 
rudiments for children ; whereas angels count it hidden 
manna. 

The quality and condition of this mystery ; it is <3; 
mystery of godliness, A short but full comprehension 
of Christian Religion. 

The art of Godliness, the skill to live holily, is a high, 
hidden, supernatural thing ; a skill far beyond the reach 
and possibility of nature. It is no endowment of na- 
ture ; it is hidden and concealed to natural knowledge. 
By nature we are utterly void of this gracious endow- 
ment. Pharao's speech is the voice of nature : " Who 
is the Lord, that I should hear his voice? I know not 
the Lord " (Exod. v. 2). Thus St. Paul describes our 
natural condition : '' We are alienated from the life of 
God "(Ephes. iv. 18). "Without Christ, being aliens 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 43 

from the conversation of Israel, and strangers to the 
Testament, having no hope of the promise, and without 
God in this world " (Ibid. ii. 12). This David describes 
(Psal. xiii. 2, 3, 5) : '' The Lord hath looked down from 
heaven upon the children of men, to see if there be any 
that understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, 
they are become unprofitable together. They have not 
called upon the Lord." 

We naturally know there is a God ; there is no man 
born an atheist ; we have some sense of a Deity ; but 
by nature we are all born profane, without any sense of 
supernatural piety ; utterly ignorant how to worship 
and serve Him in true holiness. That knowledge of 
God which by nature we have, is prone to break out 
into one of these two extremes : either into profana- 
tion, and so we never worship Him ; or into supersti- 
tion, and so we misplace His worship in things abomi- 
nable to Him. When we know God, we worship Him 
not as God (Rpm. i.). The worship He requires depends 
upon His own will and revelation : '' We know not 
what must be offered, till we come to the very place " 
(Exod. X. 26). "They know not the name of the God 
of this land" (4 Kings xvii. 26). Holiness, as God 
wants it, is no invention of nature, but a revelation of 
grace. Nature may lead us to civility, train us up to 
morality ; but spiritual piety and godliness is beyond 
the reach of nature : This wisdom is from above 
(James iii. 17). Piety is a mystery^ it is a secret to na- 
ture. It gives us a reason why godliness is so scarce — 
so few are acquainted with it. That which is natural is 
usual and common ; but this is supernatural. It is more 
admirable that any are holy, than that all are not. Most 
men live short of the light of nature ; wonder not that 



44 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

SO few are advanced beyond nature to the state of 
grace. 

Piety, therefore, to natural men, is and seems to be a 
reasonless, uncouth, unlikely thing — a mere paradox. 
Tell a vulgar, unlearned man of the mystery of any art 
or science, he thinks you speak nonsense ; he can see 
nothing in them, they seem unreasonable. As many 
mysteries as you acquaint him with, so many absurdi- 
ties ; he laughs at them. It is so with all mysteries of 
godliness. Propound them to a carnal man, he will 
laugh at them ; persuade him to them, he rejects them ; 
enforce them upon him, he repels them. It is that which 
St. Paul observes : '' Our Gospel is hidden to those who 
perish " (2 Cor. iv. 3). A natural man judges these spir- 
itual truths stark foolishness (i Cor. ii. 14). Therefore, 
the mysteries of the Gospel are called tJie foolisJiness of 
God i^h'id,. i. 25). God hath wrapt them all up in the 
veil of such mystical obscurity that, at first, they appear 
odd and unlikely to a carnal man. As the Ark, though 
it were within and without all of pure gold (Exod. 
xxxvii.), yet the coverings of the tabernacle (Ibid. 
xxxvi. 19) were plain and coarse — no outward beauty 
to be seen. Thus Christ, the great mysteiy, is God, 
veiled up in weak flesh ; Hozu can this man save us ? 
The meanness of His outside scandalized the Jews; Is 
7iot this the carpenter ? (Mark vi. 3). They zvere scandal- 
ized in regard of Him. And Christ knew how easily^ 
men would stumble at the unlikeliness of this mystery, 
that He pronounced him blessed ^' that shall not be 
scandalized in Him " (Matt. xi. 6). This is the reason 
the prophet Isaias gives why so few believe in Christ : 
"Who hath believed our report? He is as a root out 
of thirsty ground ; there is no beauty in him, nor come- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 45 

llness ; and we have seen him, and there was no sight- 
liness that we should be desirous of him " (liii. i, 2). 

The doctrine of godliness, how absurd it seems to 
natural reason. Regeneration, to be born again and be- 
come a new man, Nicodemus cannot conceive it (John 
iii.). To be nourished to life by Christ's flesh ; How ca?i 
this man give its his flesh to eat ? this saying is hard 
(John vi.). Self-denial and mortification, to be crucified 
to the world — a folly to nature. To hate father, mother, 
life itself, for religion's sake, how unreasonable — to 
love our enemies, to rejoice in afflictions, to know how 
to suffer need (Phil. iv. 12) — to part with all, in hope 
of gain, at the resurrection in another world ; and above 
all, to look for salvation in a crucified Saviour; snnt 
stulta Dei, sed deciis fidei ; these are the mysteries of 
our piety, the follies and paradoxes of natural reason. 
'' No," saith the Psalmist, " all the glory of the King's 
daughter is within " (Psal. xliv. 14). All the glory of 
Piety and the Church is spiritual and heavenly. The 
Spouse of Christ is beautiful but all-heavenly ; clothed 
with the sun, crowned with the stars, treading on the 
moon ; all Heavenly and Mystical. 

The art of godliness, the skill of living holily, is no 
small matter, but very mysterious. The philosopher 
could say of his art, ars longa, vita brevis. A man's life 
was too short to attain the perfection of it. How much 
more is the high art of religion, the mystery of godli- 
ness. It makes David, for all his learning, cry out still, 
Teach me, instruct, make me understand the way of 
godliness. St. Paul, that great proficient, yet professes 
he fell short (Phil. iii. 11, 12, 13): "Brethren, I do not 
count myself to have apprehended, I have not already 
attained, I am not already perfect ; but I follow af- 



4^ THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

ter, I press forward, if by any means I may attain " 
• — words of striving and contention. 

How hard a thing it is to attain even to the knowledge 
ol godliness. Then how difficult must it be to mortify the 
lusts and subdue the appetites. It is called a criuifying. 
Consider it, you who think seven years little enough to 
learn any trade of life ; but any little time, any poor 
pains, sufficient to learn that which the saints were 
practicing all their days. Hurrying over a few prayers, 
or coming to church and following the priest, half 
asleep, half awake, will not make you a skilful man in 
this art of piety. 

The mystery and the piety of Religion must go both 
together. The true Christian must not only content 
himself with the mystery of Christianity, but must ac- 
quaint himself with \\\^ piety. True religion joins both 
together. Thus St. Paul describes Christian Religion : 
*' It is a doctrine according to godliness " (i Tim. vi. 3), 
and it is called the knowledge of the truth according to 
godliness (Tit. i. l). We may as well separate light 
from heat in the fire, as the mystery and knowledge of 
it from the piety. 

Indeed, first we must get the mystery^ then labor for 
the piety of it. First, God created light ; so it is in 
man's soul. A man is sooner enlightened than sancti- 
fied. The sun enlightens in an instant, but it begets 
heat in the air by length of time ; yet they must never 
be asunder. Blind devotion would have the //r/j/ with- 
out the mystery. Profane curiosity would have the 
7 nystery without the piety; understand all secrets and 
mysteries, comprehend all truths ; but for the holiness 
of Christianity, they have no desire for it. 

True religion is not like the tree of knowledge, only 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 47 

fair to the eye afid delightful to behold (Gen. iii. 6), but 
it must be to us as the tree of life, for devotion and 
practice. Religion is not placed in the upper region of 
the brain, but in the heart, the seat of affection, the 
fountain of action. It is a sanctifying truth : Holy 
Father J sanctify them in truths not enlighten them only 
(John xvii. 17). 

See how Christ checks curiosity and turns all to prac- 
tice : " Lord, are they few that are saved ? But He 
said to them : Strive to enter by the narrow gate " 
(Luke xiii. 23, 24). 

Piety is the end of Christianity. It is mysterium 
practicum. Not a science in contemplation, but an art 
of doing; not to make us the wiser, but the holier. 
Piety is the best keeper of this mystery. The knowl- 
edge of religion is a precious jewel. See the cabinet 
St. Paul tells us of, wherein it must be kept : "Hold- 
ing the mystery of faith in a pure conscience " (i Tim. 
iii. 9). Take heed of making shipwreck of a good con- 
science. Knowledge in this vessel is like the manna in 
the golden pot : it is kept sweet. In a profane heart it 
is like manna in other vessels, that putrified. God takes 
away natural knowledge if we abuse it, and live not ac- 
cordingly. When they knew God and glorified Him 
not as God, God gave them over to error, and did 
not call them to the knowledge of the Gospel (Rom. 
i. 21, etc.). As we try vessels first with water, if they will 
hold, and keep it sweet, then we pour wine into them. 
They who corrupt natural knowledge, God will not 
trust them with this mystery. 

In all truths labor to be better. Make St. Peter's 
conclusion : If these things are so, what manner of per- 
sons ought zve to be in all holy conversation and godliness ? 



48 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

We have seen the quality and condition of this mys- 
tery. It is a mystery of godliness. Now follows — 

The infallible, undoubted certainty of this mystery. 
It is beyond all controversy manifest e, evidently. 

It is a most grounded truth. Heaven and earth may 
sooner fail than the least particle of this truth. It has 
the power, and the truth, and the faithfulness of God ; 
nay, His oath to establish it. 

St. Paul seals up this great truth : It is without con- 
troversy. True faitk embraces these heavenly truths 
with all assurance and fulness of persuasion. It is the 
nature and office of true faith in the matters of God, to 
breed all possible assurance. It is a seal. He who re- 
ceives God's testimony of His Son hath set to his seal 
that God is true (John iii. 33). Philip shows the assur- 
ance of faith which He requires of the eunuch : " If 
thou believest with all thy heart, that Jesus Christ is 
the Son of God " (Acts viii. 37). Especially in this 
truth, Jesus, God-incarnate, Faith breaks through all 
controversies, and unquestionably must believe. 

First. This truth is clearly revealed in Scripture. 
And divine revelation is the stay and establishment of 
faith. Truths that are more obscurely delivered are 
liable to question and controversy ; but this truth, that 
Jesus is the Messias, and the Author of Salvation, is 
with all evidence propounded to us. When God speaks 
clearly, faith believes firmly. Credendum est Deo, vel 
semcl loquenti. 

Second. This truth is an immediate and first principle 
of Religion, the grand maxim and Oracle of Divinity. 

Now in all professions principles are unquestionable, 
admit of no gainsaying. He that coiues to God must 
believe. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 49 

Third. It is a fundamental truth ; the first stone that 
is laid in the building of the Church ; the main Rock 
upon which the whole building rests. See when Christ 
builds His Church, He chooses this confession : TJiou 
art the Son of the living God, He lays that in the founda- 
tion. Now, in all buildings the foundation must be sure 
and immovable. Yi^rt, qni dnbitat in fide, est iitfidelis. 

Fourth. Errors in this are most dangerous. As er- 
rors in the conception are hardly corrected, so errors in 
this first conception of Faith. Oh ! these prime truths 
must be firmly and strongly embraced. In some truths 
we may differ, Salva compage fidei, but in this every 
error is deadly. 

In some truths St. Paul's moderation is sweet ; if any 

man think otherwise, God will reveal it to Jiiin ; account 

him as a brother. But in this to him who errs St. Paul's 

threatening is seasonable. You are fallen from grace; 

you are cut off from Christ ; you must die in your sins. 

This is the defiance Faith gives to all the objections 
and cavils of nature. How can God become man ? the 
Creator, a creature? a virgin conceive? Get thee be- 
hind me, Satajt, it is without all controversy. 

By this it answers and represses the contradictions of 
infidelity. A man's heart is hardly drawn to assent and 
give credit to these mysteries. No, faith tramples all 
under foot ; it is without all controversy. 

By this, it overcomes the weaknesses and infirmities 
of faith. Faith at first encounters many doubts and 
fears ; but why do thoughts rise in my heart ? I know 
he is a faithful and true witness ; no word is impossible 
to Him. It is the victory and triumph that Faith gets 
over all doubcmgs ; it believes steadfastly without all 
controversy. 
3 



so THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



THE REVELATION OF THE WORD 
INCARNATE, 

AND HOW ALL CREATURES BEAR WITNESS TO HIS 

DIVINITY. 

We propose in this discourse to see what kind of 
record the voice of nature and of prophecy can give 
us of the Word Incarnate. The great God, whom the 
prophet Isaias called the hidden God, and who accord- 
ing to the saying of the psalmist had spread round 
about His throne a veil of darkness impenetrable to 
mortal eyes, was revealed in the crib in the first of His 
days. The Word Incarnate so visibly replenished the 
world with its knowledge that a man must be blind 
not to see its light, and stupid to resist its love. 

The voice of nature has been willing to bear a part 
in the great harmony, which had manifested the Word 
Eternal to the world, and the increated wisdom united 
to the body of an infant. If we will look into the 
signs from heaven, at the approach of this Nativity, 
the sun appeared encompassed with a marvellous rain- 
bow, willing thereby to give notice that the time of rec- 
onciliation was near, and that the great Mediator, who 
should reunite all things in His Person, came to sanc- 
tify the world by a universal peace (" Oros." i. 6, c. 20 ; 
''Suet, in Aug.," c. 95 ; " Senec." i., nat. 99; " Dio." i. 
45). I might allege what was witnessed by Eutropius 
in his first book, and by Eusebius in his Chronicle, how 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 5 1 

three suns were seen to shine at one time, afterward 
united and incorporated into one single globe, to denote 
three substances, viz. : the word, the soul, and the flesh 
united in the sole Person of our Saviour. The heaven 
spoke aloud, making use of a new star, as of a tongue 
to declare the living God, and this apparition became 
so famous, that even infidels had authentic testimonies 
thereof, as we may see in the narration of Chalcidiiis, a 
Platonic philosopher. And it is strange that Pliny 
himself speaks of a certain star with silver rays, infi- 
nitely resplendent, which showed God in a human figure 
(Plin., c. 25, 1. 2). 

If we speak of the air, know we not it was illumined 
with a great and divine light, which St. Luke called the 
glory of God ? (ii. 9). If we speak of waters, tradition 
teaches us a fountain was seen to spring in a poor sta- 
ble, which was honored first with the birth of the Son 
of God (Baronius). The earth also contributed to the 
revelation of the Word, when it made some of its trees 
bow, to adore the Saviour. The birds of the air have 
rendered their homage by the means of a dove which 
appeared in the Baptism ; fishes in that, which served 
as a steward and cash-master to Jesus Christ (John i. 
32 ; Matt. xvii. 26). Four-footed beasts were remarka- 
ble in the stable, because we have learned from the 
prophet Isaias : " The ox knoweth his owner, and the 
ass his master's crib " (Isa. i.). 

If we pass from the voice of nature, to voices divinely 
human, as are predictions ; what is there more admira- 
ble than the universal consent of prophecies? 

There we behold the great model of the Word Incar- 
nate, which God placed in the frontispiece of His works 
to be admired and adored by all intellectual nature. 



52 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

We find prophets divided one from another, the dis- 
tance of many hundred years, different in age, disposi- 
tion, condition, style, invention, order, and connection, 
who could not see one another, as were David, Daniel, 
and Isaias ; yet all in unison foretold the history of the 
great Saviour of men. One speaks of His birth, another 
of His life, another of His doctrine, another of His 
manners, another of His miracles, another of His death, 
another of His victories and triumphs. When we con- 
sider all these predictions singly and collectively, we 
find them measured and fitted with such proportion 
as to be compelled to aflfirm that it is not a work of 
mortal hands, but a manifestation of the Spirit of God. 
Who inspired the patriarch Jacob, who prophesied 
so many years before all prophets, that the Messias, the 
hope of all nations, should come, when the sceptre of 
Juda was taken out of the hands of Juda's race : which 
was fulfilled punctually in the time of Herod, the alien 
king who put the true heirs of this royal line to deaths 
to satisfy his ambition, and content his tyranny ? Who 
dictated to the prophet Daniel that after the edict of 
King Artaxerxes, granted in favor of the re-establish- 
ment of the Temple, there should be seventy weeks of 
years to the birth of Christ, that is to say, the space of 
four hundred and ninety years? which was found true 
by calculation of the best historians. (Read Gen. xlix. 
lo, and Daniel ix. 24.) Who made the prophet Ag- 
geus speak with this thundering majesty, and worthy 
of the lips of the God of Hosts : '' Yet one little while, 
and I will move the heaven, and the earth, and the sea ; 
and I will move all nations : and the desired of all na- 
tions shall come'' (Aggeus ii. 7, 8). ''While all things 
were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 53 

her course, Thy almighty word came down from heaven 
from Thy royal throne " (Wisdom xviii. 14, 15). Was 
it not the same Spirit, which afterward wrought those 
great mysteries we see ; who then showed them to His 
faithful servants ? It was He that guided the pen of 
Isaias, when he proclaimed the Messias should be born 
of a Virgin ; He who revealed to the prophet Micheas 
this birth should happen in Bethlehem (v. 2) ; He 
who opened the eyes of Zachary to see Him in the tri- 
umphal entrance He afterward made into Jerusalem ; 
He who deciphered to David all the particulars of His 
passion in the twenty-first Psalm. This great consent of 
prophets without design or art, astonished the Jews, 
who had the Scriptures in their hands, and could reckon 
up all the verses of their Bible. They well saw, it was 
the uncontrollable voice of prophets; but their vanity 
had so blinded them that they rather wished to have 
no Messias than to acknowledge Him poor according 
to the world ; although His very poverty had been 
reckoned by the prophets in the number of His great- 
nesses. 

But who will not be rapt with admiration to consid- 
er the words, which the wisest, the greatest, and most 
glorious of Gentilism left to posterity, concerning this 
mystery? I speak of Plato, Aristotle ^ Cicero. How 
came that into Plato's mind which he so eloquently 
afterward couched in the fourth book of his laws? To 
wit : " That God should be to men the rule and meas- 
ure of all things, and principally if it were so, or ought 
to be so in any part of the world, that there were a 
Man-God " (Plato, lib. 4, de legibus). From whence 
think you came it, that Aristotle let this word fall : 
*' That it was no unbeseeming thing for the gods immor- 



54 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

tal to revest themselves with human nature, to destroy 
the errors which had crept into the world?" Who 
suggested to Cicero, one of the wisest statesmen that 
ever were amongst men, what he wrote in his book of 
commonwealth ? *' That the time would come, there 
should be no other law at Rome than at Athens: but 
that amongst all nations, and in all times, there should 
be one same, eternal, and immutable law, one commion 
master, and emperor over all, which should be God 
Himself, the inventor, teacher, and introducer of this 
law : and that he who obeyed Him not, should fly 
from himself, as a despiser of his own nature. But in 
this alone that he would not obey, he were grievously 
chastised although he might escape all other punish- 
ments " (Cic. i. 3, de rep.). 

Virgil, the most eminent of all poets, composed his 
excellent work, where he expresses in Latin verse the 
conceptions of Sybilla Cumcea^ and speaks plainly of a 
child which should be sent from heaven to pardon sins 
of men, and fill the earth with blessings. And to 
show this was not alone in the minds of particulars, we 
read that toward the x€\^vl oi Augustus, Julius Mar a- 
thus having foretold that nature should bring forth a 
King for the world's empire, the senate was so amazed, 
according to Suetonius, the historian, that they forbade 
to bring up children which should be born within the 
time this soothsayer had prefixed (Sueto. in Aug. 54). 
And Josephus also makes mention of the prediction : 
Nations come from Judea should become masters of the 
universe (Josephus 1. 7, c. i, de bello Judaico). 

Porphyry, yea, Mahomet, and demons themselves 
gave some eulogy of honor to Jesus. Porphyry in the 
treatise he made of the blessings of philosophy, says : 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 55 

" It is a great matter that devils themselves have spoken 
in favor of Jesus, confessing Him to be endowed with sin- 
gular piety, for which cause He entered into possession 
of most happy immortality." And Mahomet, that the 
Spirit of God bore record to Christ, the Son of Mary, 
that the soul of God was given Him ; that He is the 
Messenger, Spirit, and Word of God ; that His doctrine 
is perfect, and enlightens the Old Testament (Alcoran). 
O God of the universe, how powerful is verity to derive 
testimonies in favor of His word from the very lips of 
the most profane ! 

Where is that darkness which can hinder the bright 
day of faith ? What can infidels say ? That this mys- 
tery of the Word Incarnate is impossible ? Impossible, 
how? Either on God's part or man's, or from the re- 
pugnance of human understanding to such like propo- 
sitions, because in their very enunciation they involve 
contraditions. How would it not be possible to God, He 
being Omnipotent, Immense, Infinite ? How would He 
who, according to the confession of ancient philosophers, 
can replenish all the world with His Divinity, not be 
able to accommodate Himself with enough of it to 
divinize His holy Humanity? Is it because we say it is 
united to the Word in this mystery in a quite other 
fashion than the Spirit of God is with the world ? I admit 
it; for the union of it is truly personal. But must it not 
be confessed of the Word in His divine essence that un- 
der title of efficient cause. He hath an influence infinite 
over all the effects of the world, and that under title of 
final cause He hath a capacity to limit and measure all the 
inclinations of creatures ; and therefore under title of sub- 
stantial bound. He may confine and accomplish by His 
personality all possible essence ? Why shall we tie the 



56 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

hands of Divine bounty in its communications, since it 
binds not our understanding in its conceptions? Is it 
not a shameful thing that man will estimate and set a 
limit to divine Omnipotence ? If God please not man He 
shall not be God. Should we say man is incapable of 
this communication ? And how is it that the holy hu- 
manity resisted the omnipotency of God to the preju- 
dice of his own exaltation, since it is found as soon in 
the union of the Word as in the possession of essence? 
See we not in nature that the rays of the sun draw up 
vapors from the earth, and incorporated with them, do 
create meteors in the air, not one making resistance to 
its exaltation? What contradiction can there be in our 
understanding against this union of God with man ? 
seeing the most famous philosopher said this union of 
God with man might be very fit, and Plutarch also 
speaking of the Creator's communication with the crea- 
ture, said : That God was not a lover of birds nor of 
other living creatures, but a lover of men ; and that it 
is a very reasonable matter that He communicate Him- 
self to His loves and delights. 

But this would seem to abase the divinity. " I won- 
der," said Volusianus, '* that He, to whom this whole 
universe is so small, can be shut up within the body of 
a little child, having a mouth open to cries, as other." 

What uncomeliness is there if God be united to a 
little body? Have not Pliny and Seneca said that na- 
ture was never so admirable as in little bodies, and that 
it was a slavery in great ones to be unable to be little? 
*' I wonder the Sovereign Lord of all things is so long 
absent from heaven, and that all the government of the 
world is transferred to so little a creature." From 
whence proceeds this amazement but from the baseness 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 57 

of our thoughts? If we said that God being made 
man, ceased to be God, and was despoiled of His 
empire and greatness, there would be some reason 
wherewith to question this mystery ; but when we 
say God came to man by inclination of a sovereign 
bounty and mercy, not leaving Himself ; when we say 
human nature is received into the Word, as a small 
source into a huge river, and not losing its essence, is 
fixed upon the personality of the Word itself, is it not 
to honor the power, m.ajesty, and wisdom of God ? 

In what were the divinity abased ? Can it be in do- 
ing a work so noble, so singular, so divine, that it de- 
serves to entertain the thoughts of men and angels 
through time and eternity? 

What dignity to behold in the world a man-God be- 
come a part of the world, to possess the Spirit of God 
from all eternity, the first-born of all creatures, who 
held all ages in breath for Him, all hearts in desire, all 
minds in expectation, all creatures in prophecies ? " In 
the head of God's book it is written of me" (Psalm' 
xxxix. 8). 

All creatures of this great universe, all predictions 
and conceptions of these two great books, the world 
and the Bible, tended to the accomplishment and revela- 
tion of this God-man, who should set a golden head 
upon all nature, intelligent, sensitive, and vegetative. 
All creatures were but leaves and flowers that promised 
the great fruit which the prophet calls the fruit of earth 
sublime (Isaias iv. 2). 

" It is for this incomparable man that God created 
the world ; and all creatures are but as silly rays., from 
the diadem of glory which covereth His head " (Rupert, 
" de glo. Trinit."). 
3* 



58 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

What a spectacle to see them all wound up as the 
strings of a harp, to praise and declare unto men the 
name of God ; to behold the nine choirs of angels enter 
into this consort ; and notwithstanding their many and 
godlike perfections, all confess their ability cannot 
reach that degree which the Divine greatness merits. 
And behold here the Word Incarnate, which encir- 
cling all the spheres of nature, grace, and glory, 
manifests the new sphere of the hypostatlcal union, 
where it appears as a rainbow imprinted with all 
the beauties of the Father ; He manifests them to 
men, and making Himself an adoring God, a loving 
God, an honorable God, through all ages for ever and 
ever. 

Let us unfold our hearts in the knowledge and love 
of the Word revealed. Let us adore this great sign, 
this eternal character of the living God. Let us make 
a firm purpose not to pass over a day of our life, 
wherein we afford Him not three things due to Him : 
Homage, Love, and Imitation. Homage, by adoring 
Him, and offering Him some small service directed ac- 
cording to times, in acknowledgment of the dependence 
v/e have of Him, by an entire conformity of our will 
to His ; Love, by loving all He loves, and hating all 
He hates; Imitation, by ever bearing some mark of 
Him upon our flesh, according to the apostle's precept, 
who said : Glorify arid bear God upon your body. And 
to conclude let us often say : Feed, O Lord, Thy 
poor servant with continual influences of Thy divin- 
ity. I ask and desire with all my heart Thy love 
may penetrate, replenish, and transform me wholly into 
Thee. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 59 

THE SUPERLATIVE EMINENCE AND ADVANCEMENT 
GAINED BY THE CHRISTIAN THROUGH CHRIST'S 
INCARNATION AND BIRTH, EXPRESSED IN THREE 
REMARKABLE PARTICULARS, AN ARGUMENT OF ITS 
DIVINITY. 

The world had subsisted about four thousand years, 
when Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, having 
taken human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, 
and being made man, was born of her for the redemp- 
tion of mankind, or, as St. Paul expresses it : *' But 
when the fulness of the time was come, God sent His 
Son made of a woman, made under the law ; that He 
might redeem them who were under the law ; that we 
might receive the adoption of sons " (Galat. iv. 4, 5). 

This day is to be remembered in our generations. 
For this day Christ came and redeemed us that lay un- 
der the lazv. We were condemned men. Neither the 
captivity of Egyptians nor that of Babylon can be com- 
pared to ours. The Apostle sets out unto us the happy 
condition that hath betided the Church of God by the 
coming of Christ in His Incarnation. And he expresses 
it, firsts by a comparative opposition to the state of the 
Church before Christ's coming ; second^ by a positive, 
or rather superlative illustration of the happy condition 
of the Church, by His coming among us. 

In respect of age, the Church of the Jews before 
Christ, was a child in knowledge, weak, imperfect, un- 
skilful. In respect of co7idition, it was a slave, for their 
spirit was the spirit of fear and bondage ; our spirit is 
the spirit of love and liberty. Li respect of education^ 
it was at the command and under the institution of a 



6o THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

hard schoolmaster, the law — badly instructed, having 
but a faint knowledge of the first elements and rudi. 
ments of our religion. This sad condition of the Jew- 
ish Church should make us look into the sad and for- 
lorn state of us Gentiles and heathens (for such was 
our origin). The Jews were babes and children ; our 
condition was worse. We were not so much as ser- 
vants, but nearly all strangers, rebels, castaways, ene- 
mies of God. Were they kept under inferior teachers 
— we were far worse, untaught, ignorant, without un- 
derstanding, without God in the v/orld. 

The Christian Church has gained a superlative em- 
inence over the Jewish Church by Christ's Incarnation. 
And this benefit we gain by Him is expressed in three 
remarkable particulars. The first thing remarkable in 
this great benefit is the Time when it was performed ; 
when tJie fulness of the time zvas come. The second 
thing remarkable is the accomplishment of it, viz., 
I, the Author of it, God ; 2, the Actor of it. His Son ; 
3, the assurer of it, the Holy Ghost (verse 6). All three 
persons of the glorious Trinity, as they concurred in our 
creation, so do they join and meet in the accomplish- 
ment of our redemption. The third thing remarkable 
is the end and fruit we gain by it — i, 2. freedom from 
misery ; that is the benefit of redemption ; tJiat He 
might redeem us ; 2, the advancing to happiness by the 
benefit of adoption : that we might receive the adoption 
of sons. 

Christ did not come presently after the fall of Adam, 
but stayed and deferred His coming for various reasons. 
By delaying medicine the disease is aggravated. By 
the delay of Christ's coming the fall and disease of sin 
became more observable and the cure proved more re- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 6 1 

markable. Had man been restored to grace as soon as 
he had forfeited it, he would not have been sufficiently 
sensible of the depth of his horrible wounds ; neither 
would the infinite mercy, power, and goodness of God, 
in saving him, have appeared in so great lustre. 

Christ would not go at the first call to cure Lazarus, 
but stayed two days, that he might be sick, and die, 
and be buried, and putrified, that the case of Lazarus 
might seem more desperate ; so God let the world lie 
and continue in that ruin, that sin might appear out of 
measure sinful. 

In the course of nature a wound is sooner given than 
it can be cured again ; and in the dispensation of grace 
God takes longer time for punishing and pardoning 
than we take for sinning : " According to the number 
of the days ; a year shall be counted for a day, and for 
forty years you shall receive your iniquities" . . . . 
(Numb. xiv. 34). The sin of spies and people was but 
forty days' continuance, but they felt the smart of that 
sin full forty years. This course God took with the 
world (Rom. xi. 33). 

After God had promised Christ, many hundred years 
were spent ere He performed His promise. The law 
came between, and it was Tidd^d, because of t7'aiisgrcs- 
sious, until the Seed sJiould come. The world was to look 
for a Saviour, but in the meantime the law was set 
over them, to convince them of sin ; to make them 
know it is an evil and a bitter thing to fall away from 
God ; and then comes the Saviour. Christ came not 
presently in the beginning of Time, that so the perfec- 
tion of the Church might grow by degrees, till it came 
to the full age and measure of Christ. The Church was 
first as a child in the minority ; much time to pass over 



62 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

it, till it came to perfection. It is compared, i, to a 
building ; that is, a leisurely, slow work. A house or 
a city is not built in a day. First the foundation, then 
the walls, then after that lay on the roof. It is com- 
pared, 2, to husbandry, and sowing of seed. It is not 
heri sementis, and hodie messis, to-day seed-time, and 
to-morrow harvest ; but first the blade, then the ear ; 
after that, the full corn in the ear ; then comes the 
harvest (Mark iv.). It was sown in promises, sprung 
up in prophecies, bloomed in types and figures ; then 
came the full ear and harvest in Christ's Incarnation. 
The joy of that time is the joy of harvest (Isaias ix. 3). 
The improvement of the Church is compared, 3, to 
the growth of a man (Ephes. iv.). Now of all crea- 
tures, the growth of a man is most leisurely ; he comes 
slowest on to perfection. When you put a child to 
school, you place him not in the highest form, enter 
him not into the deepest mysteries of learning at first, 
but begin him at lower : so God first placed the Church 
sub lege natiirce^ trained them up in rudiments revealed 
in a simpler manner ; then brings in the Pcedagogia of 
Moses, sets him to nurture and tutor them in types and 
figures, then brings in Christ, the great Prophet and 
Doctor of the Church, that sanctified and saved the 
primitive saints, as the last upon earth shall be saved 
by Him. 

That we may conceive how our Saviour's coming 
brought a fulness to Time, we must know there were 
foregoing times, in which Christ was made known to 
the Church ; but yet there was an emptiness in those 
times ; His Birth and Incarnation gave a fulness to 
them. 

There were three preparative foregoing times, which 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 63 

Christ's coming fulfilled: i. The time •from Adam to 
Moses was Tcmptis proinissionis. The Church of God 
lived and supported itself with that promise ; that 
afterward, in God's good time, Christ should be born. 
Now promises are all for hereafter. They give us as- 
surance, but put us not in possession. A man may be 
rich in bills, and bonds, and specialties, but be in act- 
ual want. But Christ's coming fulfilled those prom- 
ises. 2. The time of Church under Moses was. Tempos 
Typoriim. It added to the former time which had but 
a promise of the Messias. But these fall short of ful- 
ness. Seals and pledges are good assurances, but act- 
ual possession is a great deal better. They were but 
shadows of the things to come, but the body is of 
Christ (Col. ii. 17). 3. Tempiis Prophetiarum, the age 
of the prophets — that was yet a fuller time, for they 
foretold the very manner and circumstances connected 
with His Birth and Incarnation. Isaias foretells the 
time ; Micheas foretells the city — Bethlehem ; all fall 
short of this fulness. The coming of Christ is the ful- 
ness of time. 

God sent His Son. So here are three things to be 
considered : i, the Author, God : 2, His action, He sent : 
3, His Son is the person who must effect and perform 
this Redemption for us. 

God the Father must be the Author of our redemp- 
tion, because by special appropriation He is the Author 
of our creation ; and none other must redeem us but 
He who creates us. We were His by right of creation, 
and that was an indefeasible right. Though we by sin 
lost our right in God, yet God did not lose His right in 
us. Now redemption belongs to Him, to whom be- 
longs the original right of possession. The stray lost 



64 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

sheep was the Shepherd's still ; He only had the right 
to recover it. None but God could lay claim to us, and 
therefore none but God could redeem us. Had any but 
God achieved our redemption, more glory had beoi 
due to a creature for redeeming us than to God for 
creating us. The work of redemption is far more 
glorious than the work of creation. In it shines more 
glorious wisdom, goodness, power. 

We owe more for our redemption than for our crea- 
tion. Before God made us, we wxre nothing ; before 
He redeemed us, we were worse than nothing. We owe 
greater thanks to Him who redeemed us by His Son's 
Blood than to Him who created us only by His breath. 

We have seen the Author of redemption : Let us see 
the Actor of it. Christ was sent to work our redemp- 
tion. He who was sent, was before He was sent (John 
xvi. 28) : '' I came forth from the Father, and am come 
into the world ; again I leave the Avorld, and I go to the 
Father." '* The L'ord possessed me in the beginning of 
His ways, before He made anything from the begin- 
ning" (Prov. viii. 22). There is His eternal generation. 
But He rejoiced to be in the habitable parts of the earth ; 
He delighted to be with the sons of men : There was 
His voluntary and gracious sending, in His Incarnation. 
Though He was at Bethlehem, yet His going forth is 
'* from the beginning, from the days of eternity " (Mich- 
eas V. 2). He came to save that which was lost (Matt. 
xviii. 11). Now, surely He will not frustrate the main 
end of His Nativity. Christ came, and yet His Father 
sent Him ; it is actus mntiii consensus. He came, and 
so it was His own act ; and His FatJier sent Him, so it 
was His Father's act. Both joined, and agreed in this 
work of our salvation. Indeed, the Father and the Son 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 65 

always do the same things ; but yet more expressly their 
consent is observable in our redemption. The Scrip- 
ture makes it a matter of their counsel and consultation ; 
a matter of covenant and compact between the FatJicr 
and the Son. '' Ask of me, and I will give thee the 
Gentiles for thy inheritance " (Psal. ii. 8). " In the vol- 
ume of Thy book, it was written of me : then said I, 
Behold, I come ; 1 delight to do Thy will, O my God " 
(Psal. xxxix. 8, 9). Both concurred ; He came not of 
Himself, but His Father sent Him to redeem us. He 
came with ample commission to effect this work. And 
Christ published this commission at His first preaching : 
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, wherefore He hath 
anointed me, to preach the Gospel to the poor He hath 
sent me, to heal the contrite of heart ; to preach deliv- 
erance to the captives " (Luke iv. 18, 19). " The Father 
who sent me gave me commandment" (John xii. 49). 
Him hath God the Father sealed^ set Him up to be the 
Prince and A iithor of salvation. 

Christ comes with full authority to negotiate and 
transact the work of our redemption. St. Paul terms 
Him the Apostle and High-Priest of our confession 
(Heb. iii.). He had apostolical commission from God 
to effect it. It must teach us perfectly to trust in Him, 
and to commend the care of our salvation into His 
hands, whom God hath laid this ofidce upon, to solicit 
our salvation. 

Our going to God, as St. .Chrysostom notes is not 
called in Scripture npoaoSo^^ but Ttfjotjayooyrj; He 
fetched us, and brought us, we went not of ourselves ; 
non motu nostro, scd diictu siio. " By this hath the char- 
ity of God appeared towards us, because God hath sent 
his only-begotten Son into the world, that we may live 



66 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

by Him. In this charity : not as though we had loved 
God, but because He hath first loved us, and sent His 
Son to be a propitiation for our sins " (i John iv. 9, 10). 
He sent to us when none of us ever thought of sending 
to Him. Did we ever think of this means of salvation ? 
No ; the whole world either lay in security, never mind- 
ing nor considering our woful condition, or else we were 
up in hostility; so far from sending for peace that we 
were bidding defiance to Him, practicing enmity. Or 
we were sunk in despair, not daring to think any thought 
of pardon, expecting nothing but destruction ; and then 
He graciously thought upon us, and se?tt for our deliv- 
erance. God sent His Son, sending, it is ac^ns demis- 
sionis ; an act of great vouchsafing, of much condescen- 
sion : for God to send to us, to dispatch messengers, 
begin treaties, make offers of reconciliation, nay, to be- 
seech us to be reconciled ; admirable dignity ! Why 
should He seek and sendy and sue to us for peace and 
atonement? He is fortior ; all the strength is on His 
side. Now, Christ tells us (Luke xiv. 31) that, in case 
of enmity, he who finds himself the weaker should send 
embassies, and desire conditions of peace. Alas ! we 
are infinitely the weaker, not able to annoy Him, or 
grapple with Him. St. Paul gives us this item : " When 
as yet we were weak, Christ died for us " (Rom. v. 6). 
He is dignior ; that is a second advantage on His side ; 
far above us in all honor and dignity. One would think 
the more mean and inferior should send and seek, and 
sue to his better, if he had offended him. What saith 
Elizabeth to the Virgin Mary : " Whence is this to me, 
that the mother of my Lord should come to me ? " (Luke 
i. 43). What condescension is this, that the High and 
the Holy One should send to us in our base condition? 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 6/ 

He makes Himself lower than the lowest by this con- 
descension, says St. Chrysostom. 

He \s pars Icesa ; that is a third advantage He hath 
against us. The injury and wrong is done to Him, the 
offence committed by us. Reason would, that we who 
had wronged Him should come in first, and sue to Him, 
as Seiuei, because he had wronged David, came first of 
all his tribe and country to meet King David, and to 
make his peace with him. All the right is on God's 
side, and yet He sends to us. 

He is independens, Avrapur/? ■ his self-sufficiency 
needs not our friendship and reconciliation. Amongst 
men, we must sometimes endure wrongs, and pass by 
them ; we may stand in need of those v/ho now offend 
us. JVec possum tecum vivere, nee sine te. Superiors 
may have such use of their inferiors that they must be 
glad to seek them. The head cannot say to the foot, I 
have no need of thee. But God stands not in need of us, 
or of our service. Had we all perished in our rebellion. 
He had lost nothing. Eliphaz tells us : '' Can man be 
compared w^ith God, even though he were of perfect 
knowledge? What doth it profit God if thou be just?" 
(Job xxii. 2, 3). No ; had we all perished, He had His 
holy angels to serve Him ; nay, had they all revolted, 
His glory and happiness are included in Himself, and no- 
ways depend upon the service of His creatures. God 
gives Abraham an item of this when He made His cov- 
enant with him : '' I am the Almighty God ; walk be- 
fore me, and be perfect, and I will make my covenant 
with thee " (Gen. xvii.). It was not necessity, but mercy, 
to covenant with Abraham. 

Yet see ! He abates this, and all other advantages : 
Though He be the stronger, and need not fear us; 



68 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

though He be the better, and so may despise us ; though 
He be wronged by us, and so may expect submission 
from us ; though He hath not the least need of us, and 
so may neglect us forever; yet see His wonderful vouch- 
safing and condescending, He sends to us. 

We may well break out with David's admiration : 
WJio am /, O Lord God? (2 Kings vii. 18). Would one 
man thus deal with another? stoop so low, to such 
treaties and entreaties of reconciliation ? j<?;z</and solicit, 
and importune for agreement ? Nay, verily, it is the 
unmatchable example of God's love to us, thus to send 
His Son to accomplish our peace and reconciliation. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 69 



HISTORICAL AND MYSTICAL CHAR- 
ACTER OF OUR SAVIOUR'S TRANS- 
FIGURATION. 

"And it came to pass about eight days after these words, that He 
took Peter, James, and John, and went up into a mountain to pray." 
— St. Luke ix. 28. 

SECTION I. 

This passage of Scripture is a remarkable relation of 
our Saviour's glorious Transfiguration ; His laying aside 
His garments of frailty and mortality, and His assum- 
ing to Himself His robes of majesty and glory. As 
David, seeing his son Solomon's succession questioned 
and opposed, sends him to Mount Gihon, commands 
Sadoc and Nathan to anoint and proclaim him king : 
so here, Christ's kingdom being opposed, He is by 
God's appointment established. Moses and Elias adore 
and attend Him, and a voice from heaven declares Him 
the Messias. 

To make the triumphs of kings more magnificent, 
all necessary preparations are made on a certain day, 
and at a suitable place with honorable attendants. So, 
here, in Christ's triumph every particular is marked out 
to advance the glory of His Transfiguration. First, is 
the choice of time — about eight days after these words ; 
second, is the choice of attendants — Peter^ Jaines^ and 
John; third, is the choice of place fit for this great 
work — a mountain; fourth, is the choice of a holy 



70 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

preparation — Prayer : He went up into a mountain to 
pray. 

After these words, that is, after the profession of St. 
Peter's faith (verse 20), Thou art the CJirist of God, He 
was transfigured. The faith of Peter was confirmed by 
the Transfiguration and rewarded by its glorious vision. 

The ground oi faith is not sight and reason and evi- 
dence ; but the reward oi faith is evidence and clear- 
ness of full representation. Christians are called fideles, 
credentes, non rationales (St. Augustine). To believe 
because we see, is the weakness of faith ; but to see be- 
cause we believe, is the honor of faith. Aliud est vi- 
dendo credere, aliud credendo videre. 

After the prediction of His death (verse 22), TJie Son 
of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the 
ancients and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and 
the third day rise again. After that saying then He 
was transfigured. He showed His glory. He who can 
thus assume a state of immortality hath no inward ne- 
cessity to die. It was not necessity of nature, but dis- 
pensation of grace that exposed Him to death. As 
Moses died, not of weakness, his eye zvas not dim, nor 
his natural force abated (Deut. xxxiv. 7), but upon 
special order, so died Christ. As it was his strength, 
not his weakness, that ended Samson ; so Christ 
died, clamore magno, non singiiltu. He did not expire 
with a sigh, or a groan, but when " He had cried with a 
loud voice. He yielded up the ghost " (Matt, xxvii. 50). 
Christ did not die from any external violence. He who 
hath the title of the Lord of life, and can assume to 
Himself impassibility, what violence can assault or an- 
noy Him? "No man taketh away my life from me, 
but I lay it down of myself ; I have power to lay it 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 71 

down, and I have power to take it up again " (John x. 18). 
He who can pass through the midst of them, and go 
His way (Luke iv. 30), surely His death is not enforced, 
but assumed. 

He did not die because His Father hated Him. It 
may be it shall be said, God hath forsaken Him ; His 
Father's displeasure exposes Him. No, that scandal is 
prevented by this glorious manifestation of Himself. 
He is by an oracle from heaven honored, and acknowl- 
edged the Son of His Father's love. 

After His death is foretold His glory is discovered. 
He did not pass a deliciis ad delicias. No, but first He 
must suffer and then be glorified. '' Ought not Christ 
to have suffered these things, and so to enter into His 
glory? " (Luke xxiv. 26). First, Mount Calvary must be 
ascended, then Thabor, and Olivet. Post fcl faviun. 
He must taste the gall of His Passion, then, after. He 
shall taste the honeycomb of the sweetness of exalta- 
tion. 

" Why should it be thought a thing incredible that 
God should raise the dead ? " (Acts xxvi. 8). He hath 
power to lay it down and power to take it up again. 
Look upon Mount Thabor, and this Transfiguration ; 
and then go to Golgotha, and doubt not of a Resurrec- 
tion. Consider the glory of the Transfiguration, and 
then doubt not of the immortality^ impassibility^ agility, 
clarity of the Resurrection. 

When Christ made mention of His kingdom (verse 
27), *' I tell you of a truth : There are some standing 
here that shall not taste death till they see the kingdom 
of God," — they never heard of Christ's kingdom, but 
they imagined a terrestrial outward kingdom. Christ, 
to make them understand the condition of His king- 



*J2 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

dom, withdraws their thoughts from outward things, 
shows them the spiritual, supernatural, celestial nature 
of His kingdom. Jerusalem comes down from heaven. 
All outward things are the good things of His footstool, 
not the good things of His Throne ; the comforts of 
the miserable, not the joys of the blessed. 

About eight days after ; St. Matthew and St. Mark 
say six days ; St. Luke here eight. St. Matthew and 
St. Mark speak exclusively, leaving out the day of this 
prediction, and of the Transfiguration, and mention the 
six days intervening. St. Luke speaks comprehensively, 
reckons both the day he spoke it, and the day he per- 
formed it, and so makes up eight. Eight days has a 
moral and mystical signification. He remains eight 
days to stir up expectation, as moderate delays sharpen 
and quicken our hope and expectations. Eight days 
has a mystical signification : First, It is the mystery of 
Christ's Resurrection. He was transfigured on the 
eighth day, that is raised in glory on the eighth day after- 
ward. This reason St. Augustine gives why the number 
eight is consecrated in Scripture : The circumcision was 
on the eighth day to figure Christ's Resurrection. Many 
legal offerings were on the eighth day. Thus St. 
Augustine descants upon some titles of the Psalms in 
Octavis, all prefigurations of Jesus Christ's Resurrection. 
Secondly, It is the mystery of our Transfiguration and 
Resurrection. Six ages of the world must pass first. Post 
sex dies gloria Dominicce habitus ostenditur. Sex milliiim 
annorum temporibiis evoliitis Regni Ccelestis hojzos prcefig- 
uratiir (St. Hilary). Six ages, the world's continu- 
ance ; the seventh day, that's the day of Judgment ; 
then the eighth is die cBternitatis^ when we shall be 
taken up in glory. 



THE MEASURE OF THE V/ORLD. 73 

The choice of attendants are His disciples : Peter, 
James^ and JoJm ; why not the people, the priests, and 
Pharisees ? It was a revelation, and revelations of mys- 
teries are not for infidels, but for believers. " To you 
it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of 
heaven, but to them it is not given" (Matt. xii. ii). 
For common illumination, He enlightens every man, 
but special revelation is the children s bread, the hidden 
mafina. He expounded all to His disciples apart. As 
every subject may know the *king's laws, but his 
choice counsellors are only acquainted with his secrets; 
so the Law of God is exposed to all ; but the mysteries 
of His kingdom are concealed from many, and commu- 
nicated only to His own. 

Jesus Christ, in His divine economy, saw the neces- 
sity of carrying secretly His divinity, in the dark-lantern 
of His humanity, thus to make way for His death and 
Passion. Had they known the Lord of life and glory 
they would 7iot have crucified Him. Hence He charges 
them not to publish it till after His Passion. Thus the 
greatest Rabbins never conceived how David's Son 
could be David's Lord, and, therefore, the Jews to this 
day, because in some places they find predictions of 
Divinity, sometimes of humanity, not knowing how to 
accord them, imagine two Christs ; Filium Joseph, He 
that shall suffer, and die ; Filium David, He that shall 
rule and reign. 

It was a revelation of the saints, because Christ after 
His Resurrection never showed Himself but to the saints. 
Before, He did to priests, publicans, and Pharisees: 
after, never but to saints ; so in this act of glory only 
to His disciples. Only St. Paul saw Christ and heard 
Him ; they who were in His company did not see Him 



74 • THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

(Acts ix.). How then concerning Satan, can he see 
God ? never, he appeared because God observed him, 
not that he saw God, — none shall see Him and live ; it 
is true spiritually, none shall see Hint and die, 

Tres discipidi, non omnes. Three of His disciples, not 
all. Three is a sufficient number to testify this miracle. 
JudaSj a reprobate, was not to be admitted, he was 
unworthy of it. Therefore, lest he should murmur, 
and repine and grow worse, others are left out. Why 
does our Blessed Lord single out Peter, James, and 
John, and pass by the other disciples? He excludes 
all others at the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and 
admits these. What reasons are there for it? There 
need be no reason, it is His pleasure. He can cross His 
hands as Jacob did, give five portions to Benjamin, deal 
more sparingly with others. Shall I not do with mine 
ozvn as I please ? These three were more eminent for 
grace, and zeal and love to Christ. St. Paul says, they 
were counted Pillars. These three were admitted to 
His Transfiguration, because they were appointed to 
assist at His Passion (Matt. xxvi. 37). Peter was that 
zealous disciple who made the noble confession of Christ, 
therefore he is singled out to partake of this vision. St. 
Peter is sorry to hear of Christ's death, dissuades Him 
from it ; by this vision, therefore,he is comforted, reformed, 
instructed in the mystery of Christ's Death and Passion. 
James was appointed to be the first apostle that should 
die for Christ. Herod sucked his blood. As they who 
must be in the front of the battle, have the choicest 
armor, because they are to undertake desperate services, 
so St. James was to be first in the army of Christ, there- 
fore he was admitted to view the glory of the Trans- 
figuration. St. John was appointed the penman of 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 75 

Christ's Divinity, and above all the others, soared 
highest into heaven. Therefore, was this manifesta- 
tion of Christ's glory and divinity made to him. ^' He 
saw His glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten 
of the Father" (John i. 14). So St. Peter makes use of 
this (2 Peter i. 18), " We heard a voice which came from 
heaven when we were on the holy mount." Thus these 
agreements show why these three were chosen. 

The choice of place was a mountain. He led them up 
to a mountain. The general opinion is that Thabor is 
the place referred to ; although interpreters are divided 
as to what mountain was this. Some say it was Mount 
Sinai, where the Lav/ was given. Others say, it was Mount 
Lebanus. Christ's recourse to the mountain was very fre- 
quent. '■'' He went up into a mountain to preach " (Matt. 
vi.). '* He went up to the mountain to pray " (Mark 
vi. 46). "He went out into a mountain to pray" 
(Luke vi. 12). He ascended to heaven from a moun- 
tain. He appointed Abraham to offer up Isaac on a 
mountain. The Law was given on a mountain. Moses 
saw God's glory on the mountain. Elias prayed on 
Mount Carmel ; Moses died on a mountain; so Aaron, 

Why so ? Is God the God of the mountains, not of the 
valleys? No, surely. In all places prayers are alike ac- 
ceptable. Why then does Christ single out a mountain 
for prayer? i. For retirement and privacy, He with- 
draws Himself from tumults and multitudes, sequesters 
Himself to a more intimate devotion. .Retirement and 
solitude is a blessed opportunity for devotion. Christ 
bids them enter into their closet to re-collect their 
thoughts. 2. The elevation of the mountain, a 
bodily ascent, teaches us to raise our thoughts in 
prayer above the sphere of the world. Prayer is as- 



76 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

census mentis ad Dciun ; the scale and ladder to get up 
to heaven. We must mount up as eagles ; climb as 
Jonathan and his armor-bearer to the top of this rock. 
Devout prayer mounts the soul up, transports it into 
heaven. It makes our conversation to be in heaven. 3, 
Mons typus cccli. Heaven is prefigured and compared 
to a mountain. ^' Who shall ascend into the mountain 
of the Lord ? " (Ps. xxiii. 3). '^ I have lifted up my 
eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to 
me" (Ibid. cxx. i). The Temple, the type of heaven, 
was erected on a mountain. Mountains are places of 
strength, so is heaven. The aspect of that goodly 
frame should raise our thoughts to heaven. Thus 
David, viewing the heavens, breaks forth into admira- 
tion of God : Cceli enarrant gloriam Dei, et opera mann- 
inn ejus annuntiat firmamentum. " The heavens show 
forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the 
work of His hands " (Ps. xviii.). 



SECTION II. 

Having seen our Saviour's solemn preparation for 
His Transfiguration (verse 28), we come now to the act- 
ual entrance and manifestation of this His glory. And, 
zvhilst He prayed^ He was transfigured. 

Christ knew that the adoration of angels and saints 
belonged to God alone, and as man He Himself was in- 
ferior to Him ; therefore, He prayed to do honor to 
His eternal Father — not out of any necessity on His 
own part, because prayer could not sanctify Him, who 
was already sanctified from His Incarnation. Prayer is 
our moral, and real, and spiritual sacrifice, enjoined on 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 7/ 

US by the law of nature, in recognition of the Supreme 
Lord of the universe. CJirist was not sanctified by 
prayer, but prayer was sanctified by CJirist ; as baptism 
did not sanctify Him, but He sanctified and conse- 
crated it. 

God gave His beloved Son to us as our model, that, 
by His meritorious actions, we may be sanctified and 
redeemed. And when the natural Son of God, free 
from all the infirmities and temptations of our nature, 
carefully and religiously honored God, what should be our 
homage, who are the lowest and meanest and unworthi- 
est of His creatures? He who in His Deity was equal 
to God, yet bows and prostrates Himself: how should 
we humble ourselves in this holy adoration ? Must the 
Son of God be a petitioner, and shall the servant inter- 
meddle, serve himself in his desires without prayer? 
*' Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy 
inheritance, and the utmost part of the earth for thy 
possession " (Psal. ii. 8). 

The efficacy of prayer is manifested in the Transfigu- 
ration — whilst He prayed, He was transfigured. Moses 
prayed on the Mount in communion with God ; his face 
was shining and glorious — as after a man has been long 
conversant in some fragrant place, his very clothes will 
carry those perfumes with him. St. Paul, praying, was 
carried up into the third heaven. St. Peter, praying, was 
cast into a trance ; St. John was ravished in spirit. Our 
Saviour prayed, and His glorious Transfiguration follow- 
ed — '' and His face did shine as the sun " (Matt. xvii. 2). 
He did not transfigure Himself, but He was transfigured. 
Plis Humanity had no activity to infuse this glory; that 
was but a lantern, which gives no light of itself ; a 
candle within it must shine and enlighten it. It was the 



78 THE CROSS OF CHPaST 

action of God the Father, putting honor and glory upon 
His Son ; and not so much the action of the Son as- 
suming glory to Himself: Father^ glorify Thy Son, that 
Thy Son may glorify Thee. The merits were the Son's; 
the rewards, His Father's. The substance of the body 
was not changed, but there was rather a glorious altera- 
tion in the appearance and qualities of His body: As- 
siunpsit gloriam, not deposuit naturam (Hieronymus). 
It was the same body of Christ, in nature and substance, 
before, and in, and after glorification. His natural body 
was not abolished, but only replenished with glory. Ubi- 
qnitarians (a school of Lutheran divines) say that the 
body of Christ must be present in the Eucharist, in virtue 
of His divine omnipresence, as it must be everywhere by 
virtue of union and glorification. Catholics say by 
virtue of glorification it may be anywhere, in a thousand 
places at once ; thus in the sacrament of the Eucharist. 
For the demonstration of this truth : Christ's body, 
after His Ascension, was in heaven, at the right hand 
of God in glory, and at the same time on earth, as He 
was seen by St. Paul. 

Our hope is that these our earthly bodies shall, in His 
good time, be transfigured, and made like His glorious 
body. Anabaptists dream of new bodies being made. 
No ; what He hath shown in His own. He can and will 
perform in ours. Our vile bodies shall be made like His 
glorious body. His glorified body w?iS primitice, the first- 
fruits, and they are pledges of the whole crop. 

" His face did shine as the sun " (Matt. xvii. 2). The 
sun is the most glorious creature to which we may com- 
pvare the glorified body of Jesus ; not but that all created 
glory, all excellencies, were surpassed by His sacred 
body now glorified in heaven. If our blessed Redeem- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 79 

er had shone in His full glory, the eyes of the apostles 
could not have beheld it. He dzvells in that light that 
710 eye can approach unto. 

All light in our system flows from the sun. The 
moon and the planets shine by a borrowed light. So 
Christ, as God, is the origin and fountain of glory. All 
saints and angels shine by the light they receive from 
Him. The light of the sun is most refulgent. The moon 
is waterish, the stars glimmering ; but the sun is most 
pure. So Christ is not only pure, but purity itself. No 
mixture or shadow of darkness or corruption is in Him. 
There are spots in the moon, so there are dregs of hu- 
manity even among Christians. The heavens are not 
pnre in His sight {] oh ^v. 15). The light of the sun 
enlivens and quickens, and gives vivacity to all creatures. 
Philosophers say, without the influence of the sun no 
creature can live ; this being eclipsed, all things languish. 
In its departure there is nothing but fading and dying; 
in its return it gives vivacity. So Christ is the fountain 
of spiritual and glorious life. " The Sun of Justice shall 
arise, and health is in His wings " (Malachias iv. 2). 
The light of the sun is cheering and comforting. So 
Christ refreshes, gladdens the soul ; " the light of His 
countenance is upon us," and puts ''gladness in my 
heart " (Psal. iv. 7). The Church in her persecutions 
prays for that heavenly light: Show Thy face, ajtd we 
shall be saved (Pssl. Ixxix. 20). 

''His garments became white as snow" (Matt. xvii. 
2) ; " Exceeding white as snow " (Mark ix. 2). 

It may be asked, why are His garments glorious? A 
glorified body shall have no other garments than the 
robes of immortality and glory. But Christ was not in 
statu glorice, but only in actzi, in transient passage of 



80 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

glory. Not in the fulness of glory, but in some resem- 
blance. In heaven He clothes Himself with light as 
with a garment ; now He clothes Himself with garments 
as with light. Whence arose this glory of His gar- 
ments ? From the glory and resplendency that was in 
His Body. His divinity conveyed glory into His Soul; 
His Soul transfused it into His Body ; and that trans- 
mits it into His garments ; as His power of miracles 
was originally in His Godhead, then in His Soul, then in 
His Body, then in His garment. The hem of His gar- 
ment had virtue in it, being instrumentum conjunctum. 

Look upon all the beauties that are in the world, the 
most glorious and resplendent creatures, and unite all 
their excellencies, and raise up your thoughts by them, 
and from them to the contemplation of that glory 
which is in heaven. View all the rarities of Nature 
and Art, — they are but a vanishing meteor compared to 
the glory of heaven. ^' Eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man 
what things God hath prepared for them that love Him " 
(St. Paul, I Cor. ii. 9). He appeared before them in 
glory to demonstrate the truth of His divinity; they 
had seen His Humanity, now His glory gives evidence 
of His divine nature. 

How can this glory of His face prove His divinity, 
seeing Moses' face did shine? Moses' face did shine 
extrinsically by conferring with God ; but Christ's glory 
came from within fro-m His Deity to His Soul. Christ's 
shinings were the rays of His divinity^ Moses had 
splendorcm sub velamento ; Christ had velamen in splen- 
dore. Moses' shining was terrible, Christ's was com- 
fortable ; the apostles were loth to lose sight of it. 

One design of the transfiguration undoubtedly was, 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 8l 

to give the disciples some idea of Christ's future ap- 
pearance, when He should come in His kingdom. He 
was transfigured to prefigure the glory of His second 
coming at the day of Judgment ; then He will have His 
saints about Him, as Moses, and Elias, and His Apostles 
to be present with Him, and He Himself will be in His 
glory. His first coming was in infirmity, but the king- 
dom of God shall conie with power. Look upon Mount 
Thabor and then believe the glory of His second ap- 
pearance. Christ was transfigured to show the possi- 
bility, nay, the facility of His own and our resurrection. 
He who can transform Himself thus into glory, how 
easily can He raise up Himself, and us also, and trans- 
late us into glory. Look upon Mount Thabor, and 
then doubt not but Mount Golgotha shall give up her 
dead. 

The apostles were grieved when our Lord told them 
of His Cross and sufferings — to remove the scandal of 
His Cross He arrays Himself in glory. This Face that 
shall be smitten, I can make it as the sun ; this Body 
that is to be tortured, shall shine as light ; these gar- 
ments that are to be parted shall be made resplendent. 
Look to Mount Thabor and be not offended at Mount 
Calvary. Let us often lift up our eyes to the holy mount,, 
the heavenly Thabor that awaits us. Let us fix our 
meditations upon the glorified Jesus in heaven, attended 
not only by Moses and Elias, but by myriads of an- 
gels and saints. Let us labor for heaven, for the Lord 
has prepared thrones, crowns, and white robes for us in 
Paradise. '' The just shall shine as the sun in the king- 
dom of their Father " (Matt. xiii. 43). 

4* 



82 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

SECTION III. 

CHRIST'S HONORABLE ATTENDANTS, MOSES AND ELIAS. 

All the legions of angels and saints in heaven were 
ambitious to celebrate the glorious Transfiguration of 
Christ ; yet two only were admitted, and why this small 
number? Moses and Elias came not only as our Lord's 
attendants, but also to give testimony to the Son of 
God. Two witnesses of so great authority are sufficient 
to assure us of Christ's divinity. '^ Al tJie mouth of two 
or three witnesses every word shall stand'' (Deut. xix. 
1 5). Here, therefore, only three from earth are assumed 
to this vision, and tv/o only from heaven. Hereafter 
every eye shall see Him ; now the sight of Him is more 
reserved and mystical, and of a more reserved dispen- 
sation. Others are omitted to show us that even in 
heaven there is a diversity of glory as well as on earth. 
All the saints of God have their portion of bliss, not in 
a just equality. Moses and Elias were preferred to 
choicest angels, because they had authority of preach- 
ing in the Church ; they first published the tidings of 
salvation, and are now eye-witnesses of the truth of 
what they preached. That doctrine which they taught 
brought them to glory. Two men attended Christ, and 
why? Because men are more concerned than angels in 
Christ's Incarnation and Mediatorship. Jesus Christ 
never took upon Himself the nature of angels. He was 
born for us — He lived for us, and died for us. Angels 
are not the spouse, but friends of the spouse — angels 
are but inmates of heaven in respect of us. Heaven is 
prepared for us — not for angels (Matt. xxv.). Hell is 
prepared for the devil and his angels : but not so heaven— 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. S^ 

this is not prepared for angels, but for us. The joys of 
heaven are called a sitting dozvn zvitJi Abraham^ Isaac^ 
and Jacoby not with angels, i7i the kingdom of heaven. 
They are but servants and attendants upon our glorified 
nature. Moses and Elias appear at the Transfiguration 
in respect of Jesus Christ. The two grand pillars of the 
Church wait upon our Saviour. Moses and Elias were 
faithful servants, but Christ was the Lord of the house. 
Kings and prophets and the highest saints in heaven 
fall down before Him. As Joseph's brethren, all honor 
Him, all sheaves bow down to His sheaf ; all the stars 
worship this Sun of Righteousness. 

Moses and Elias gave evidence that Christ is the an- 
ointed Messias that was promised to the Church. He 
receives testimony and witness from Moses and the 
prophets. Thus Philip (John i. 45) : " We have found 
Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did 
write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth." St. Peter 
brings Moses to witness ; for Moses said : " A prophet 
shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your 
brethren, like unto me; Him you shall hear according 
to all things whatsoever He shall speak to you " (Acts 
iii. 22). " To Him all the prophets gave testimony " 
(Ibid. X. 43). And Christ accounts that Moses wrote of 
Him — " Search the Scriptures ; . . . . they are they 
that gave testimony of me " (John v. 39). To pre- 
figure Thee, says Moses, I instituted the Passover, and 
effusion of Blood ; all my rites and ceremonies looked 
at Thee. To foretell Thee, says Elias, was my message 
and ministry. All the prophets from Samuel, and after, 
represented Him ; all the patriarchs were types of Him, 
all join in Him, all like lines run to this centre. 

Moses and Elias appear in behalf of themselves — 



84 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

notwithstanding the admirable sanctity of these two 
men, they do honor to Christ, because they knew that 
He was the God of AbraJiam, Isaac, dind Jacob, and that 
no condition in Hfe excludes His sovereignty. All 
knees in heaven, and earth, and under the earth must bozv 
and prostrate to Him. They who went before and they 
who came after the Messias, all sing Hosanna to this 
Son of David. The Church of the Patriarchs acknowl- 
edged Him for their Head. All of them ^n^x^ partakers 
of this common salvation. Christ Jesus, yesterday, to- 
day, the same forever. It was a dangerous and blas- 
phemous error of the Manic he es and Marcionites to 
distinguish the God of the Old Testament from the God 
of the New. They counted the faithful of the Old Tes- 
tament a carnal people, feeding only upon earthly prom 
ise ; no, their estate was spiritual, and the promise heav 
enly, and they were partakers of one glorious Messias. 

When Christ will come to judge the world, Moses 
and Elias shall assist His judgment. The Law and the 
Gospel shall give evidence against sinners : *^ Think not 
that I will accuse you to the Father ; there is one that 
accuseth you, Moses, in whom you trust " (John v. 45). 
Moses grew not weak or sickly, but continued in full 
vigor, till God buried him ; so the Law hath an eternal 
obligation and force upon us and will accuse us, till 
Christ dischargeth it. "' Whosoever have sinned in the 
law shall be judged by the law " (St. Paul, Rom, ii. 12). 

The apostles erred concerning Christ's kingdom. 
They imagined it to be an earthly kingdom. Should 
He reign here what should become of Moses and Elias, 
and all saints who had departed from this world ? There- 
fore the appearance of Christ to Moses, Elias, and the 
apostles, showed the nature of His kingdom — they 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 85 

must sit down with Abraham in that kingdom. And 
when St. Peter made a noble confession of Christ's 
divinity, his dear Master confirms his faith by two 
glorious witnesses. 

Moses was faithful in the house of God. See how he 
encountered Pharao. Elias was zealous for Christ's 
glory against Achab. Both zealous in God's glory, now 
they appear in rest and glory. These two appear also 
in behalf of the people, and their judgment of Christ. 
There were three opinions common among the Jews 
concerning Jesus Christ. First, a blasphemous opinion ; 
second^ a more moderate opinion, but yet unworthy of 
Him ; third, a partial and superstitious opinion. All 
these are corrected by this apparition. They had a 
blasphemous opinion of Him ; that He was an im- 
postor, a transgressor of the Law, a blasphemer. This 
man blasphemeth (Matt. ix. 3). Moses and Elias con- 
demn and remove this blasphemy. If He had been a 
blasphemer, Elias, who burnt in zeal for the glory of 
God, would he have adored Him? or had He been a 
transgressor of the Law, Moses would not have owned, 
much less honored Him. There were some who were 
more moderate. '' Whom do men say that the Son of 
Man is?" (Matt. xvi. 13-14). Some say ''that Thou 
art John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others 
Jeremias or one of the prophets." That was the best 
they thought of Him; "a great prophet is risen up 
among us" (Luke vii. 16). The Jews held the opinion 
that none could exceed Moses. They would not allow 
Christ to be equal to Moses. " We are Moses' dis- 
ciples — we know that God spoke to Moses ; but as to 
this man, we know not from whence He is" (John ix. 
28, 29). Moses, whom the Jews loved so much, gives 



S6 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

the precedence to Christ; he bows and prostrates to 
Him. "Art thou greater than our father Abraham, 
who is dead ? and the prophets are dead, whom dost 
thou make thyself?" (John viii. 53). Whereas Abra- 
ham desired to see one day of Christ, so did Moses. 
" Many prophets and kings have desired to see the 
things that you see " (Luke x. 24), that is, Christ in the 
flesh. 

These two men really appeared in majesty. 

The apostles saw His glory and twolnen that stood 
with Him. This reality of appearance of Moses and 
Elias assures us of the immortality of the soul and the 
facility of the resurrection. The opinion of the Saddu- 
cees relative to the resurrection was wicked, because 
they taught that the souls are extinguished with the 
body. Moses, indeed, was dead and buried in the plain 
of Moab two thousand years. How easily can our 
Lord raise our bodies from the dead and place them in 
glory, seeing that by a single nod Elias comes from 
heaven and Moses from his grave. Speak but the word, 
Lo7'd, and Thy servaftt shall revive. 

They appeared in glory as noblemen appear in the 
greatest magnificence to attend the king. The glory of 
the saints is to attend Christ in glory. Take Moses 
and Elias apart from Christ and they become obscure, 
imperfect, fearful, terrible. Look at them standing 
v/ith Christ, they appear comfortable and glorious, the 
shining stars of the King of glory. Grace and truth 
came by Jesus Christ. St. Paul calls them beggarly ru- 
diments, void of Christ. Their conversation was upon 
a heavenly subject ; it was most agreeable, which teaches 
us that there is no contradiction between the Old and 
New Testaments, but rather perfect harmony. Here 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 8/ 

the Law and the prophets, like the two cherubs, are 
both compassionating and looking upon the Mercy- 
seat. This, our Saviour taught His disciples: ''All 
things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the 
law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, 
concerning me " (Luke xxiv. 4). There were certain 
heretics in the time of St. Augustine, who professed 
themselves enemies to the Law and the prophets. But, 
lion potcs segregare Lege?n ab Evangelio, ut nee umbrain d 
corpore. " The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a 
Prophet of thy brethren like unto me," saith Moses 
(Deut. xviii. 15). Like unto me, not contrary to me. 

Moses and Elias had many heavenly intercourses 
with God on earth ; to teach us that those who have 
communion with God here, shall be received with more 
free access with Christ in heaven. How can those who 
never raise their hearts in prayer or meditation look for 
access into heaven? It is remarkable, indeed, that 
Moses and Elias talked with Christ and not with the 
apostles. And why? There was no need of Moses 
and Elias speaking to the apostles on the mount, be- 
cause these had already in their possession the books 
and writings which contained all that was necessary for 
man. It was enough for them to know that they them- 
selves are now come " to the spirits of the just made 
perfect, and Jesus, the Mediator of the New Testament " 
(Heb. xii. 23, 24), that the apostles came to the society 
of the holy patriarchs and prophets, and of saints made 
perfect through Jesus Christ, because we are members 
of the same Church of which Christ is the Head. 

The matter of conference was not concerning the 
kingdoms of this world, nor the rising and falling of 
monarchies, nor of the nine orders of angels, but rather 



88 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

de morte Christie of Christ's death. And why about the 
death of Christ ? Because the grand, necessary funda- 
mental work of Christ — namely, our redemption — should 
be accomplished by His death. '' We hoped that it was 
He that should have redeemed Israel " (Luke xxiv. 21), 
but He is dead. Christ confers with Moses and Elias 
about His death to acquaint His apostles with the 
mystery, that it must be, as our salvation depended 
upon it. All the sacrifices were representations of His 
death ; all the prophecies were predictions of it. Thus 
it was written : '' Thus it behooved Christ to suffer " 
(Ibid. xxiv. 46). In this sense He was the Lamb slain 
from the beginning of the world. '' Who is this that 
Cometh from Edom with dyed garments from Bosra, 
this beautiful one in his robe, walking in the greatness 
of his strength? I, that speak justice, and am a de- 
fender to save" (Isaias Ixiii. i). 

What honor like this to die for the Church, to be the 
sacrifice of the world, the ransom of mankind, the con- 
queror of hell and death, Peter solicits Christ not to 
die, Moses and Elias solicit Him to finish that glorious 
work upon which their salvation and the salvation of 
the world depended. And if the Son of God in His 
glory meditate upon His death, and Moses and Elias 
talk of His death, how should we season our thoughts 
concerning our final departure ? Oh ! Let death be our 
thoughts and frequent meditations. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 89 

SECTION IV. 

THE CONFERENCE OF CHRIST'S DEATH VIEWED MORE 

PARTICULARLY. 

Christ our Lord premeditates His death and Passion, 
knowing that through suffering and death He must 
enter into His glory (vide St. Luke xxiv. 26). In His 
humiliation He is refreshed with the expectation of 
glory. " Glorify Thou me, O Father, with Thyself, 
with the glory which I had before the world was, with 
Thee" (John xvii. 5). When the Gentiles came to visit 
and to honor Jesus, He spoke of His Passion: " Unless 
the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself re- 
maineth alone " (John xii. 24). Abundance and worldly 
prosperity raise our thoughts too high, make us forget- 
ful, nay, to abhor the mention of death. Greatness, 
like Assuerus, will have no mourning or sack-cloth 
(Esther iv. 2) to appear before him. '^ O death, how 
bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that hath 
peace in his possessions " (Ecclesiasticus xli. i). The 
thought of death should be like that stiimilus caritis^ 
that thorn in the flesh. Thus St. Paul exhorts the 
jCorinthians : " Brethren, the time is short ; it remaineth 
. . . . that they who rejoice, as if they rejoiced not, .... 
and they who use this world as if they used it not, 
for the figure of this world passeth away " (i Cor. vii. 
29, 30, 31). Thus Abraham, admitted into' conference 
with God, cries out : ^' I am dust and ashes " (Gen. 
xviii. 27) ; and Jacob, being in honor in Egypt, saith : 
" The days of my pilgrimage are .... few and evil " 
(Ibid, xlvii. 9). Thus Joseph of Arimathea made 
his grave in his garden. The thoughts of death are 



90 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

well calculated to diminish all worldly pleasures — to 
lead us to repentance and reconciliation with God, and 
finally, when the dismal face of death approaches us, we 
dread not its horrors, but rather greet its coming thus : 
To others death seems the king of terrors, but to me it 
wears a milder aspect. 

The nature of death is a departure. We are strangers 
and pilgrims upon earth ; we have no abiding place. 
Our life is called the time of a soldier. Death is a de- 
parture, therefore no destruction. Thank God we are 
not of the faith of the Sadducees, who believed that 
death was no departure, but a destruction of the soul, 
an annihilation of the spirit. No, our souls die not, but 
depart only. Solomon calls death a rctzirning of the 
soul to God (Ecclesiastes xii. 7). Immortality is a part 
of that image of God which remains indelible. St. 
Paul calls death a dissolution or separation, not a de- 
struction and annihilation. The light of nature taught 
it to heathens, and the light of Scripture assures it to 
us. '' If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we 
are of all men most miserable" (i Cor. xv. 19). The 
very philosophers discourse of the regions of souls, and 
world of spirits, and of places of abode, even after this 
life. 

Is death a departure ? Migrcmus hinc this must 
make that word sound in our ears. The saints profess 
they belong to another city. David calls the wicked 
the men of this world (Psal. xvii.). They settle here, 
make this their heaven. The figure of this zvorld passeth 
awayi^t. Paul), and the lust thereof {^t. John). Sedemus 
hie juxta flumina Babylonis ; omnia transeunt. Look 
upon all things here as such that must be left. Then 
see thou finish all thy work. '^ Whatsoever thy hand is 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 9I 

able to do, do it earnestly ; for neither work, nor reason, 
nor wisdom, nor knowledge, shall be in hell (the grave), 
whither thou art hastening" (Ecclesiastes ix. 10). If 
we could stay as we please, and return again when we 
please, but stattittun est Jiominibiis scmcl inori. " It is 
appointed unto men once to die" (Hebrews ix. 27). If 
we were to return and die again we might recover our 
omissions, but we must accomplish all now, for if death 
once comes there is no return from the grave. 

Is death a departure ? Provide a place of refuge, for 
death is like a cruel landlord : turns us out of doors. 
What folly not to provide a place to receive us ! This 
our Saviour commends in the parable of the Steward : 
*' Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity, 
that when you shall fail, they may receive you into 
everlasting dwellings" (Luke xvi. 9). This was our 
Saviour's comfort : '^ I leave the world, and I go to the 
Father" (John xvi. 28). This was the perplexity of 
men without Christ. The wisest of them knew not 
what became of their spirits. They that are Christ's 
are assured of a place after their departure. " We know 
if our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved 
that we have a building of God, a, house not made with 
hands, eternal in heaven. For in this also we groan, 
desiring to be clothed upon with our habitation that 
is from heaven " (2 Cor. v. i, 2). 

The death of Christ was accomplished with His own 
free will, which gave merit to His sufferings. He was 
the Lord of His own life; no man takes it from me; 
I lay it down. And as in Christ, so in Christians, their 
sufferings and death must be voluntary. The death of 
the wicked is dreadful. It gnaws them ; they are 
snatched to death. A Christian voluntarily accepts 



92 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

death. When God calls him, he offers himself as Christ 
did. The death of Jesus Christ was a fulfilment of 
God's counsel and ordination. His death was appointed 
from eternity : '' To do what Thy hand and Thy coun- 
sel decreed to be done" (Acts Iv. 28). He is the Lamb 
slain from the beginning of the world. Only Christ's 
actual suffering accomplished it, else how sJiould tJie 
Scripttire be fulfilled? Christ's life on earth was a life 
of suffering, a progress to death; so with us: we no 
sooner come into the world but we begin to go out ; 
therefore, we die daily. Youth is the death of child- 
hood ; manhood the death of youth ; age the death of 
manhood ; then death closes all. Philosophers say : 
inotus and terviimis are but one thing really ; so our 
passing and consummation of life is but one continued 
death. 

All the circumstances of Christ's death — time, place, 
and manner of it — were prefigured and foretold by the 
prophets. The time of it was foretold and calculated 
by Dmiiel ; the manner of it was prefigured and foretold 
by the prophets — the place, all the occasions, and in- 
struments, and circumstances were designed. The Pas- 
chal Lamb not only was commanded to be slain, but on 
what day, in what place it was to be dressed. In what 
manner to be eaten. And as it was in Christ's death, 
so likewise in ours. Our time is set and fixed; the pe- 
riod of our life, the circumstance of place, all occurrents 
forelaid. Thus God appointed Moses and Aaron both 
time and place to die in. Thus St. Peter was fore- 
warned by what manner of death he must glorify God. 
Our lives are in God's book ; that time is fixed, as was 
the Exodus of the Israelites. Jerusalem was the place 
foretold and prefigured as the place of Christ's death. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 93 

This was prefigured in Isaac s offering on the Mount. 
There was no altar allowed, but this of Jerusalem ; here 
the Passover was to be slain and eaten. Thus we read 
in Hebrews xiii. 1 1, 12: "The bodies of those beasts, 
whose blood is brought into the Holies by the High- 
Priest for sin, are burned without the camp ; wherefore 
Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His 
own blood, suffered without the gate." 

The place morally prefigures the Church. Christ must 
die at Jerusalem ; that is, His death is effectual for His 
Church and people. Out of the bounds of the Church 
there is no redemption or salvation. He who is out of 
this Ark perishes ; he who eats the Passover out of this 
house is accursed ; he who lives out of this Jerusalem is a 
heathen. They err who teach that in any religion there 
is possibility of salvation. No, salvation is of the jfewSy 
said Christ ; so now of the Christians — no sacrifice but 
in Jerusalem, no grace but in the Church. That is the 
place to which God hath respect : There He hath com' 
inafided a blessing, and life for evermore. 

Come we now to the entertainment that the apostles 
gave to Christ's glorious Transfiguration : They ivere 
heavy with sleep — all fallen into a sleep. So in the 
Garden, when they should have assisted and refreshed 
Christ in His Passion, they were then fallen asleep 
again. It is true, commentators declare it was in the 
time of sleep. Peter and the rest were no church-sleep- 
ers, but being called to watch on Mount Thabor — Jesus 
praying all night — the weakness of nature prevailed 
upon them. This is the condition of the best saints ; 
corpus quod corrumpitiir aggravat animam. This is a 
life of necessities, a necessitatibits meis erue me, Domine. 
Some will say, it is human infirmity to sleep in church, 



94 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

therefore we cannot help it ; the fault is pardonable if 
rarely and seldom, and little done. Christ excused His 
apostles' sleeping: "The spirit indeed is willing, but 
the flesh weak" (Matt. xxvi. 41). Sometimes we de- 
fraud ourselves of the necessary rest by late hours, and 
on Sunday make bold with the house of God to take 
our rest. " Have you not houses to eat and drink in? " 
says St. Paul. Sometimes ignorance and deadness of 
understanding is the cause of it. When man is unac- 
quainted with the Word of God, naturally the soul 
sinks into heedlessness, and drowsiness of spirit. David 
had such delight in God's Word and calling upon Him, 
that he awakened at midnight. Indecens Christiana^ si 
radius solis inveniat dormientem (St. Augustine). How 
much more unbecoming is it that the Sun of Justice 
should find us napping! Awake, therefore, thou sleeper, 
and call jipon thy God. 

The sleep of the apostles, as a carnal indisposition, 
represents our spiritual indisposition. We are utterly in- 
capable, in our corrupt. nature, of comprehending heav- 
enly manifestations. Our understanding is most dull 
and unteachable in spiritual things. While in civil and 
common truths we are quick-witted and apprehensive, 
in the things of God the greatest manifestations do 
not affect us. '' The sensual man perceiveth not the 
things that are of the Spirit of God ; for it is foolishness 
to him, and he cannot understand ; because it is spirit- 
ually examined" (i Cor. ii. 14). Aristotle compares us 
to owls' eyes, that are quick-sighted in the dark, but 
blind in the sunshine. We must beg of God the light 
of grace, lu?nen graticE, God must open our under- 
standings, or else we cannot discern spiritual things. 
We see this in the Pharisees, Nicodemus, the woman of 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 95 

Samaria. Christ tells her of living ivatcr — for her life 
she cannot conceive any other than water of ordinary- 
use. Such is our blindness, that by nature we are ut- 
terly incapable of spiritualities. 

The apostles were struck with astonishment at the 
glorious vision of Christ. We read of the saints of old 
that a " deep sleep fell upon Abraham when God ap- 
peared to him, and a great and darksome horror seized 
upon him " (Gen. xv. 12), so (Ezechiel ii. i) at the vision 
of God " he fell upon his face.'* So Daniel, when *' he 
saw the vision, there remained no strength in him, and 
the appearance of his countenance was changed in him, 
and he fainted away, and retained no strength. And 
when he heard the voice of His words .... he lay, in 
a consternation, upon his face, and his face was close to 
the ground " (Daniel x. 8, 9). So John, seeing the glory 
of Christ, was struck with astonishment, " and when I 
had seen Him, I fell at His feet as dead" (Rev. i. 17). 

The sun in its strength dazzles the eyes of man, much 
more must the glory of God. The angels hide their 
faces. If the saints are thus affrighted and confound- 
ed, what terror shall seize the wicked and damned rep- 
robates at His great appearance! If this glorious 
Transfiguration were so dreadful to the apostles, how 
shall they approach near Him when He shall come 
against them in frames of fire ? Oh ! then shall they 
call to the mountains to hide them, and the hills to 
cover them. If glimpses of glory be dreadful, what will 
the ugly appearance of Hell and vengeance be? Who 
can dwell with devouring fire f Who can dwell with ever- 
lasting burnings ? 

It is a good rule, lex vigilantibus, et non donniejttibiis 
prodest. " Rise, thou that sleepest, and arise from the 



96 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

dead, and Christ shall enlighten thee " (Ephes. v. 14). 
The sun may shine, but they that close their eyes can- 
not see it. When they were awake, they saw His glory. 
First they sleep, then they are awakened, then they be- 
hold Him. It figures out unto us the order of our en- 
joying the face of God. First, we must all sleep the 
sleep of death. Our mortality cannot admit of that 
vision — when we shall awake out of that sleep, we shall 
arise renewed, strengthened, and see His majesty. We 
see Him now with the eye of faith ; the eye of faith 
must be closed by death ; then, at our resurrection, we 
who sleep in the dust shall be raised, and stand before 
Him. '' As for me, I will appear before Thy sight in 
justice ; I shall be satisfied v/hen Thy glory shall ap- 
pear" (Psal. xvi. 15). 

They saw the tzvo me7i that stood zvith Him, saw them, 
that is, knew them ; but how could they know those 
whom they never saw ? Some say they had seen their 
pictures — maybe from their conversation, or rather ex 
lumine glorice, and to foreshow us the happiness of 
heaven ; then we shall know all the saints ; as Samuel, 
by the light of prophecy, knew Saul, whom he had not 
seen before, so shall we converse with all the saints. 
Adam knew his wife as soon as she was brought to 
him. 

SECTION V. 

• 
Moses and Elias, having done homage to Jesus as their 
God and Saviour, departed from Mount Thabor, and re- 
turned to those eternal habitations from whence they 
were called to attend our Saviour. And as they departed 
from Him, says the Evangelist (Luke ix. 33), Peter 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 9/ 

salth to Jesus: "Master, it is good for us to be here, 
and let us make three tabernacles — one for Thee, and 
one for Moses, and one for Elias, not knowing what he 
said." 

The ministry of the law by Moses and the prophets 
w^as to continue till the establishment of the New Law 
(Hebrews viii. 10; x. 9). But when Christ appeared, 
and assumed the government of His Church, then He 
is the only Governor and Master. " The servant abideth 
not in the house forever, but the Son abideth forever " 
(John viii. 35). The law was dated and limited, but the 
Gospel is an everlasting Gospel (Rev. xiv. 6). Moses 
and Elias and the prophets gave light as a candle shin- 
ing in a dark place (2 Peter i. 19), but Christ as the 
glorious sun. The sun alone is more cheering and re- 
freshing than all the stars in the firmament, so is Christ 
than all the saints. 

The other apostles were much affected, but Peter was 
most fervent, and breaks out into this passion ; this act of 
St. Peter is one of the arguments of precedency ; among 
many others that are counted up by Bellarmine to the 
number of twenty. 

Bomim est nos hie esse. It is good for us to be here. 
The apostles were in an ecstatic joy. God makes 
Himself known to us; first, to strike us with fear, to 
bring us to comfort — first, astonishments, then consola- 
tions. Thus He dealt with the Blessed Virgin Mary : 
first, she was afraid ; then she was raised to sing her 
Magnificat; so w4th Zachary ; so with the shepherds. 
The devil, on the contrary, breeds false joys, but leaves 
true terrors in the soul. It is good to be here — it is 
good to be in company with the saints; depart from 
the company of wicked men, for ill company is a pat- 
5 



qS the cross of christ 

tern of hell, hasten from them ; but the fellowship of 
the saints is a ravishing comfort, hasten to them. Hast 
thou the company of a saint? Prize it; but " depart 
from the tents of these wicked men " (Numbers xvi. 
26). The joys of glory, and the presence of Christ, are 
ravishing and transporting. Oh / taste, and see how 
good, how sweet, God is. 

Peter forgets all ; he thinks not of kindred, nor of 
friends, nor of any worldly comfort. He is willing never 
to go down from this Mount ; he bids adieu to father, 
friends, houses, etc. — he desires never to depart from 
this holy Mount of God. Peter heard Christ's Sermon 
on the Mount, yet said not then, Bonuin est hie esse. 
Again, when He fed five thousand — in the great draught 
of fish — when the water was changed into wine — when 
the fish was taken with money in the mouth ; in all 
these manifestations of Christ's miraculous pov/er, we 
would have cried : Boniim est nos hie esse. But St. Peter 
was not affected with any of these, only at this Trans- 
figuration, Master, saith he, it is good for us to be Jiere. 
If a glimpse of glory be so delightful, what is the ful- 
ness of it ? '' O how great is the multitude of Thy 
sweetness, O Lord, which Thou hast hidden for them 
that fear Thee ! " (Psal. xxx. 20). If the glory of Christ's 
Humanity be so transporting, how much more the glory 
of His Deity? 

Let us make three tabernacles — one for Thee, one for 
Moses, and one for Elias. Peter, though rash and un- 
advised and unreasonable, yet was excusable, and, 
in the meantime, commendable. It was inconsiilta et 
prcematura devotio (St. Ambrose) ; unadvised and rash, 
but yet well-meant and devout. St. Peter puts not off 
Christ with empty observances. See David : / ivill 7iot 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 99 

serve the Lord ivitJi that zuJiich cost me nothing. Alas ! 
we can be content to render Him some cheap observ- 
ances, saying that is the best God and religion that 
costs us least. Oh ! it is an argument of our base es- 
teem of God, of religion, of our souls, of the kingdom 
of Heaven, when we murmur at any charge our religion 
requires of us. The Lord upbraids the Jews, thus : '■'■ Is 
it time for you to dwell in ceiled houses, and this house 
lie desolate?" (Aggeus i. 4). The heathen scorned, to 
hear of cheapness in the service of their gods. 

Master, if Thou wilt, let us make here three taber- 
nacles. He submits to Christ's appointment. No 
service or worship is to be tendered to Christ but what 
He allows and gives warrant to. You shall not do 
whatsoever is good in your own eyes, but what Christ 
commands. In matters of religion, invention is super- 
stition. St. Paul : Tradidi qiiod, accept ; quod accepimus, 
non quod excogitavhnus. That God is to be worshipped 
nature tells us ; but how, that is His choice and pleas- 
ure, and matter of revelation. Strange fire was abom- 
inable, so are invented religions. St. Peter cared not 
for his own comfort ; the love of God had the first 
place. Love seeketh not her own, but the glory of 
Christ. When self-love sways us, then we are all for 
ourselves ; take care for our own tabernacles ; provide 
for our own. Whereas Tertullian observes : Not any 
that followed Christ ever questioned how they should 
live ; none said : non habeo, quo vivam ; Pietas non respicit 
vitam, multo minus victum. 

What is that eternity of being which we look for in 
heaven ? We cannot comprehend it. What are these 
heavenly speeches that souls and spirits use in glory? 
We cannot conceive them. What is that impassibility 



lOO THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

and agility of our bodies in heaven ? We cannot im- 
agine it. What is that beatific vision and sight of the 
essence of God ? We cannot attain to it. 

If we cannot understand the life of grace, the union 
with Christ, the manner of regeneration, how can we 
understand Him, when He speaks heavenly? Eye hath 
not seen, and that sees far; ear hath not heard, and that 
receives much ; nor heart hath ability to imagine or 
conceive those hidden things. We are no more able to 
conceive the life of glory than a child in the womb can 
conceive what is the condition of this present life. 
Nature assists us in the knowledge of this world ; but 
the knowledge of God, of His angels and saints in glory, 
is a mystery locked up in that storehouse of eternity. 

Peter knew not what he said, for his soul, and mind, 
and capacity, had been overwhelmed by the glory of 
Christ. '' Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me ; 
it is high, and I cannot reach it " (Psal. cxxxviii. 6). 
We must have lumen glorice, the light of glory, to en- 
large, raise, and strengthen our understandings, to bear 
that weight of glory. The sun puts out a candle ; so 
the light of glory will soon dampen our glimmering 
spark. This makes the very angels stand aloof and 
cover their faces. He divelleth in that light that cannot 
be approached unto. 

Peter erred in desiring to remain on the mount, as 
the vision was but a taste of glory, not a full repast of 
glory, intended only to strengthen their faith and 
quicken their hope. He was fully satisfied with the 
appearance of Christ's glorified Humanity. No doubt 
it was a source of great joy and blessing to see \hQ. price 
of our redemption — the body of the Saviour in glory. 
Nevertheless, no created glory can be the fountain and 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 01 

fulness of glory to us. Not even the manhood of Christ, 
blessed by derivation and participation from a higher 
fountain, nor the society of saints in heaven, or the 
view of the Lamb of God, most ravishing ; but it is the 
blessed Godhead, the face of God Himself, the adoring 
and enjoying a heavenly communion with the sacred 
Trinity that is our true, original happiness. *' Show us 
the Father, and it is enough for us " (John xiv. 8). Our 
happiness is to behold the glory which Jesus Christ had 
not on Mount Thabor, but before the world was. 
Thabor is but a viaticum. Grace never leaves us till it 
brings us thither. As waters will ascend as high as from 
whence they rise ; so grace that comes from heaven 
will ascend thither again. Jerusalem is from above ; 
Thabor is but a colony that belongs to It. 

Again, if Christ remain on Mount Thabor, what 
shall become of His death, passion, and redemption of 
mankind by His being crucified ? No, the Saviour must 
descend from Mount Thabor and ascend Mount Cal- 
vary. "Thus It is written that Christ must suffer and 
so enter into His glory." How else should the Scrip- 
ture be fulfilled, the Church redeemed, heaven pur 
chased, the devil vanquished ? Peter, the chief of the 
apostles, would never leave this place of glory ; but Peter 
must go down and labor for heaven. Much labor must 
be undergone, and many services performed to attain 
heaven. We should imitate the spies that discovered 
Canaan, who came back and said : Come, let us fight 
for it, it is a good land. There is a cup to be tasted of, 
and Baptism to be baptized with first. Through many 
afflictions we must enter into heaven. We cannot go 
to heaven without the cross. We must be made conform- 
able to our Head, who was consecrated by afflictions. 



102 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Crux^ scala cceU ; the cross is the ladder by which we must 
ascend to heaven. Morienduni — we must pass through 
Golgotha to come up to this mount. The valley of death 
leads to this mountain ; that strait must be passed. 

Three tabernacles : one is necessary and one only ; 
all must be in Christ's tabernacle or utterly excluded. 
Elias must have a distinct tabernacle from Moses till 
Christ comes and pitches His tabernacle among men, 
then they must resign and give place to Him. Uniim 
ovile — all must be under one Head ; all one Flock, and 
one Shepherd. Thus the Corinthians would build 
many tabernacles : One sets up a tabernacle for Cephas, 
another for Paul, another tabernacle for Apollo. Paul 
flings down these tabernacles, and sets up Christ's only. 
In the new Jerusalem there is no temple, but the Lamb 
is the Temple (Rev. xxi. 22). Moses and Elias are but 
servants of this tabernacle, of which Christ is Lord. 
There is no tabernacle in heaven, as Moses himself con- 
fesses : '' Lord, Thou art my protector and my refuge " 
(Psal. xc. 2). Some worldly-minded men think these 
earthly comforts take place in heaven. If there be a 
Resurrection^ then there is marrying^ and giving in mar- 
riage, said the Sadducees. So the Jews thought, that 
if the Messias be, then there must be carnal victory, 
worldly pomp. So the Turks promise themselves 
sensual delights. TJie kingdom of heaven is not meat, 
nor drink, nor any sncJi comfort, but righteousness, and 
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. We look for a tabei'- 
nacle, and building made without hands. 

Those eternal mansions, whose foundations are eternity, 
and whose walls are salvation, need not our poor cottages. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I03 

SECTION VI. 

" And as He was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud over- 
shadowed them ; and lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: ' This 
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased : hear ye Him.' " 
— Matt. xvii. 5. 

As King David, in placing his son Solomon upon his 
own throne, established his succession by his own ap- 
probation, so here God the Father puts the greatest 
glory and honor upon His Son in this magnificent and 
renowned testimony : This is my beloved Son. Three 
times this glorious voice came from heaven. First, 
when He was baptized by John the Baptist, ''And be- 
hold a voice from heaven, saying: TJiis is my beloved 
Sojiy in zvlioni I am zvcll pleased.'' (Matt. iii. 17). Second, 
in the course of His Mediatorship ; and third, before 
His Passion. Then there came a voice from heaven say- 
ing : / Jiave both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 

In the glorious testimony given to our Saviour, ob- 
serve the preparation, a bright cloud overshadozved them, 
and the declaration. This is my beloved Son. A bright 
cloud overshadowed our Saviour and the apostles for 
divers reasons ; first, to correct St. Peter, who proposed 
the erection of tabernacles, as if Christ in glory stood 
in need of dwellings built with the hands of men. The 
heaven of Jieavens cannot contain Him (2 Chron. ii. 6). 
Secondly, this cloud, by overshadowing the apostles, 
moderated the glory of Christ, lest they should be ab- 
sorbed by the magnitude of its splendor; and finally, 
the glory of God's presence is usually represented by a 
cloud. Thus "■ He filled the Temple with a cloud." A 
cloud appeared upon Mount Sinai (Exodus xix.). 



104 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

'* The Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and 
stood in the entry of the tabernacle" (Numbers xii. 5). 

The Transfiguration and glory of Christ overcame 
St. Peter; he is not able to stand before the brightness 
of it ; here God tempers Himself to their weakness. He 
spreads a pavilion and shade of clouds to shelter them 
from the surcharge of glory that was too great for them. 
As Moses put a veil on his face, that he might not amaze 
and terrify his people ; as we cannot look upon the sun 
in its full brightness but under a cloud by refraction or 
reflection ; so the majesty of Christ is insupportable 
till He veils Himself, and abates His glory, and conde- 
scends to our frail capacity. He dwells in a thick 
cloud ; that is. His nature and substance are hidden 
and invisible. This is a glorious attribute of God. St. 
Paul calls Him *' The invisible God" (Col. i. 15). 
*' No man hath seen God at any time" (John i. 18). 
*' He dwells in light inaccessible" (i Tim. vi. 16). He 
is invisible to the eye of reason, the eye of the soul ; no 
definition can express Him; no notion resemble Him; 
no understanding fathom Him» Reason has three ways 
of knowing Him, and they all fall short. First, by way 
of causality ; yet that is insufficient, as His whole being 
or substance is not communicable to any of His crea- 
tures. ^^zondXy^hy way of negatives : removing all im- 
perfections from Him ; yet that shows what He is not, 
not what He is. Thirdly, by zvay of eminence : by as- 
cribing all created excellencies, and reducing them to 
Him; yet these are but similitudes of Him, not really 
true of Him ; these are finite, and we are not able to 
comprehend infinity. 

God the Father never was visible by any apparition ; 
God the Son was manifested in flesh ; and God the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I05 

Holy Ghost appeared in the shape of a dove. Hence, 
the Fathers of the Church conclude that in the Old 
Testament, whenever it is said that God appeared to 
Adam, Abraham, Jacob, etc., still it was the Son who 
appeared ; and those assumed bodies were preludes of 
the Incarnation. A cloud is obscure, but yet it is van- 
ishing, it may be dispelled. The sun is able to clear 
the heavens of clouds ; so that invisibility of God is 
but for this life : a time shall come when we shall have 
all veils removed, all obscurities lightened, all clouds 
dispelled. The Sun of Righteousness shining, shall 
scatter this mist ; Then we shall see Him as He is. In 
liimifie tuo, videbiniiis lumen. 

It was a bright cloud which imparts the light and 
clearness of the Gospel. When the Law was given to 
Moses, a thick cloud surrounded him. On Mount 
Thabor there w^as a cloud, but bright. The Law, and 
the means of salvation in it, were dark and very re- 
served, in regard of the shining light the Gospel brings. 
Thus the Circumcision was a dark cloud, immediately 
signifying God's covenant with Abraham. Our Baptism 
is a cloud, a bodily material type, an outward element ; 
but it is a clear cloud, representing distinctly the wash- 
ing away the filth of the soul by the Blood of Jesus 
Christ. The Passover was a dark cloud representing 
the delivery of the Israelites out of Egypt ; immediately, 
but darkly, it represented the Messias. The Lord's 
Supper is a cloud ; a veil of bread and wine is over it, 
but yet it is a clear cloud, immediately showing Christ, 
and all His benefits. The light of the Law was like 
the light of a candle ; ours as the day-star. The cloud 
of Sinai was not so much a cloud as a fearful disorder 
of storms and tempests, thunderings and lightnings, 

5* 



I06 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

which kindled coals of fire exceedingly terrible. The 
cloud on Mount Thabor was a bright cloud, the emblem 
of peace and serenity. Thus the Gospel is all peace and 
comfort. Mount Sinai denounced cursings ; Christ on 
the Mount, begins with blessing (Matt. v.). 

The solemn publication of this testimony : it is a 
voice out of the cloud : '' This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased." They saw His glory — now 
He recalls them to hear a voice ; as zve have heard, so 
have we seen. " What we have heard and seen and felt," 
says St. John. 

The knowledge of Christ and the mysteries of His 
kingdom cannot be obtained here below by natural 
means, but must come by revelation from above, from 
the Father of lights. The sun cannot be seen but by 
its own light ; nor can Jesus Christ be known but by 
His own revelation. See how the Divine Saviour cate- 
chises His apostles : *' Whom do men say that the Son 
of Man is?" (Matt. xvi. 13). See how distracted they 
are in their opinions: "Some say, John the Baptist 
some, Ellas; some, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.' 
But zvhom do yon say that I am ? Simon Peter answered 
and said : Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God, 
and Jesus answering, said to him : *' Blessed art thou 
SImon-Barjona ; because flesh and blood hath not re 
vealed It to thee, but my Father, who is in heaven.' 
The knowledge of Jesus Christ, therefore, is an un- 
searchable mystery laid up in the bosom of eternity. 

This voice from the cloud is a testimony of the high- 
est and most sovereign authority. It comes " from the 
excellent glory" (2 Pet. i. 17). The testimonies of men 
may be questioned, but God's warrant from heaven is 
past exception. It is the confirmation of our faith 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 10/ 

(Ibid. i. i6); we have not followed cunningly-devised 
fables, when we made known to you the power and 
presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. No, tJiis voice came 
from heaven to us. It is also the conviction of the 
v/orld's infidelity : Had I not spoken to them, they had no 
sin, but now they have heard, therefore their sin abides. 
Thus our Lord convinces the Pharisees : The baptism 
of John, was it from heaven or from men? Their con- 
science told them : If we say, from heaven, zuhy then 
did zue not believe Him ? Take heed ye despise not Him 
that speaks from heaven. To despise the testimony of 
men, of prophets, of messengers, was punished. " He 
that believeth in the Son of God hath the testimony of 
God in himself ; he that believeth not the Son maketh 
Him a liar ; because he believeth not in the testimony 
which God hath testified of His Son " (i John v. lo). 

Those v/ho refuse to accept the testimony of the Son 
of God shall incur eternal damnation (Matt. xxi. 40). 
When our Saviour asked, " What will the Lord of the 
vineyard do to those husbandmen who reject His Son ? " 
they all answered : ''He will bring those evil men to 
an evil end" (Matt. xxi. 41). Their damnation is just, 
themselves being judges. 

Tliis is my beloved Son. To Adam, Christ was pointed 
out (semen muleris), the seed of the woman ; then to 
Abraham (semen Abrahae) ; then to David (semen Da- 
vidis) ; then filius (semen Virginis) ; all came nearer and 
nearer, but yet they never enjoyed a personal evidence 
and demonstration of the Messias. The Church before 
Christ was supported with promises ; " He shall come ; 
He shall be born in the fulness of time, but not yet," 
saith Balaam. The saints, before the advent of the 
Messias, were all in expectations ; They waited for this 



I08 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

consolation ; they received not the promises. The Father 
brings Him into the world ; the Gospel presents Him 
to the eye of faith. They before us lived upon prom- 
ises ; we live upon performances ; theirs was gaiidinm 
gucerentium^ ours invenientium ; they were in a state of 
expectation, we in a state of fruition ; they saluted the 
promises afar off, we possess and embrace them. 

He is the Son of God: ''Thou art my Son" (Psal. 
ii. 7). This is the foundation of the Church — that Christ 
is the Son of God ; this the devils acknowledge : Thoit 
art the Son of God, and that implies these truths : i. The 
Son is of the same nature as the Father. The Creator 
and creature are not of the same nature ; nor the work- 
man and his work ; but the Father and Son are of the 
same nature. Man begets man, not one of another 
kind ; and God begets God. Thou art my Son, this day 
I have begotten Thee. 2. The Son is a distinct Person 
and substance from the Father; He is not a property 
or attribute in God, or a manifestation of Him, but a 
true, real Person, subsisting in Himself. 3. He is of 
equal dignity, of the same excellence ; He counts it no 
robbery to be equal with God ; He is high in the glory 
of the Father, placed ad dexter am, at His right hand. 
He is to be worshipped with equal honor as His Father. 
All knees must bow to Him, all tongues confess Him. 
All must Jionor the Son, as they ho?ior the Father. He is 
of equal power and authority with His Father. De 
Domino natus est Dominus, hceres onmium. All power 
in heaven and earth belongs to Him ; He is Heir of all. 

It is an argument of God's great love to mankind that 
He gave us His Son. God tried Abraham's love by re- 
quiring the sacrifice of his son. That Christ is the Son 
of God is the excellency of His merit : that He could 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. lOQ 

vanquish Satan, abolish sin, purchase salvation, it was 
not because He was the Son of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, but the Son of God, and His acts are of infinite 
value, and Himself the origin of grace. God has freely 
adopted us, not that He wanted a Son, but that we 
wanted a Father. He made us accepted in His well- 
be loved Son. 

There are three things that make a son beloved of 
his father, and all eminently in Christ. First, the son 
is the possession of his father ; as Eve called Cain a 
possession. The father hath communicated himself to 
his child, and that makes him to love him. Much more 
doth God love His Son upon this ground ; He is not ali- 
qiiid Patris, but totum, all. Second, similitude is a 
cause of love ; the Father imprints His likeness on His 
Son; in His own likeness He begat Him: so Christ is 
the lively image of His Father, i. In His divinity He 
is the character of His Father's glory, a full representa- 
tion of Him. If you knezv me, you zvould knoiv the Father. 
2. In His humanity, all those created and infused graces 
that are in the Manhood of Christ, are prints of God's wis- 
dom, holiness, mercy, etc., shining in Him. 3. In conform- 
ity to His will, Christ never displeased His Father (He lost 
His life rather than He would lose His obedience). His 
Father styles Him His beloved Son. " He is in the Fa- 
ther, and the Father in Him " (John xiv. 11). He is in 
the bosom of the Father, and He communicates His 
counsels to Him, and shows Him all things. He hath 
made Him heir of all things. Psal. ii. 8 : " Ask of me, and 
I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and 
the utmost part of the earth for thy possession." " I 
dispose to you, as my Father hath disposed to me, a 
kingdom " (Luke xxii. 29). 



no THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Christ was most pleasing to God the Father. His 
infinite perfection is His Father's perfect image. In it 
liicre is all holiness, and purity, and goodness, exactly 
equal, yea, the same as the purity of God the Father 
Infinite goodness procures infinite love ; but Christ's 
infinite excellency is infinitely delightful to His Father. 
Thus He rejoiced with Him and in Him from all eter- 
nity. This blessed communion between the Father 
and the Son took up that incomprehensible space of 
Eternity. It answers to that atheistical query, WJiat 
did God before He made the zvorldf He enjoyed His 
own glory and blessedness, and His soul delighted in 
this Son of His desires and love (Proverbs viii.). 

In the creation God was pleased with all His works ; 
He beheld them and they were all good. The Lord is 
rejoiced in His works (Psal. ciii.). But Christ Incarnate 
is the choice masterpiece of all the works of God. In 
Him He hath magnified all His glorious attributes ; the 
greatest wisdom, the greatest evidence of power, the 
greatest communication of His goodness, all were dis- 
covered in this work. 

In creation God communicated His goodness : i. 
When He brings forth His creatures from the dark 
dungeon of nothing, and makes them subsist. 2. In com- 
municating life, a ray of His life to creatures. 3. By 
imparting to man His own likeness. 4. By the produc- 
tion of grace in our souls, by which we are made par- 
takers of the Divine nature. 5. The great and most 
glorious communication is that of Himself in the In- 
carnation. To make a creature to be God by personal 
union — this is the most incomparable work of God. 
This all the angels wondered at. If at the creation of 
Light, all the angels of God shouted for joy and admira- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. Ill 

tion, as Job speaks, surely when all this work Avas 
achieved, then all creatures did wonder much more. 
And in this God was highly pleased. He found folly 
in His angels. In some of the best of them there was 
matter of displeasure. But for this Son of God there 
was no guile found in His mouth. "The prince of this 
world Cometh, and in me he hath not anything " (John 
xiv. 30). 

God is well pleased with us in Christ, but displeased 
with us out of Christ. 

Sin hath blasted the beauty of all God's workman- 
ship. At our fall (Gen. iii.) the earth was cursed, and 
that curse none but Christ can take off. We have 
made Paradise a pest-house. The whole world groans, 
being made subject to corruption and vanity (Rom. viii.). 
As it was said of Jerusalem, Why hath the Lord done 
thus to this city ? so of the whole world : Why is it 
devoted to destruction ? Because of God's displeasure 
at sinners. 

By what means has Jesus Christ gained us the love 
of His Father ? By His inter cession, by His satisfaction, 
and merits and tinion. The prayer of our Saviour is of 
infinite power to prevail with God : " Father, I knew 
that Thou hearest me always " (John xi. 42). " Father, 
forgive them," reconcile us to God, recommend us to 
His mercy. 

He is appointed by God the Father to be the 
Prophet and Teacher of His Church. '^ The Lord thy 
God will raise up to thee a Prophet .... like unto 
me; Him thou shalt hear " (Deut. xviii. 15). He as- 
sumes this title to Himself, displaces all Rabbis ; One 
is your Master, even Christ (Matt, xxiii.). " He is 
called the Apostle and High-Priest of our profession " 



112 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

(Heb. ill. i) ; and " the angel of the Testament (cove- 
nant)" (Malachi iii. i). He discharged His duty with 
absolute fidelity without concealing any portion of God's 
truth. " The words which Thou gavest me I have 
given them ; and they have received them, and have 
known in very deed that I came out from Thee, and 
they have believed that Thou didst send me " (John 
xvii. 8). " None of those whom Thou gavest me is 
lost " (John xvii. 12). Hear ye Him. The Father 
sends us to His Son. 

We have no voice from the Father but this bidding 
us to look for no. voice but from Christ. Pharao sends 
all for corn to Joseph. 

Moses and Elias were like ushers in the school. 
Christ is the grand Teacher. These stars must set now 
this Sun arises. We must devoutly hear the ministers 
of Jesus Christ. ^' He that receives you receives me." 
Thus the Galatians received St. Paul as an angel of God, 
cvc?i as Christ Jesus (Gal. iv. 14). 

The law was imperfect, insufficient, therefore it is 
abolished, but surely they will reverence my Son. His 
Gospel is the eternal Gospel. There is no need of curi- 
osity after Christ nor examination after the Gospel. 
No man was ever so authorized, but his commission 
was limited. Christ has an universal charter. We must 
question nothing, nor doubt of any point of His doc- 
trine, although beyond our reason in mysteries^ although 
contrary to flesh in officiis ; although beyond hope 
and possibility in promissionibiis. Hear Him ; adore 
Him not only as my Son ; believe in Him not only as 
your Saviour, i7i whom I am well pleased ; but hear Him 
as your Law-giver, and resolve to serve the Lord Jesus. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. II3 

SECTION VII. 

"When Peter, James, and John heard the voice, they were 
very much afraid." — Matt. xvii. 6. 

God stirs up in them a great fear in order to force 
them to hear His Son. Those lessons that we learn 
with extraordinary fear make the deepest impressions 
on the memory. Those truths are dearest to us that 
cost us dearest. Fear, horror, and temptation are the 
most profitable schools to learn in ; as a mother loves 
that child most, that she brought forth with the great- 
est pain and sorrow. While we are at ease no fears 
and terrors seize us. 

Love is too weak an attraction to our servile nature ; 
fear works more powerfully. We should remove sin 
from our heart and the fear of God will not terrify us. 
The least inward pain is more troublesome than any 
outward. A vapor in the earth makes an earthquake. 
Make Christ your sanctuary as children run to their 
father when anything affrights them. '' I will fear no 
evils, for Thou art with me " (Psal. xxii. 4). Our fear 
should be a voluntary, religious fear of God, not a slav- 
ish fear — Serve Him with reverence and fear. An hum- 
ble spirit that bows of itself shall never be broken. A 
reed that bends with the wind, stands, when an oak is 
rent up by the roots. 

"Jesus came and touched them, and said to them: 
Arise, and fear not " (verse 7). God was the Agent of 
it. It was He who produced this extraordinary fear, 
consequently He must remove it. This fear was 
brought about for a salutary purpose, namely : to re- 
mind us in our prosperity that we should call upon God 



114 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

as well as In our afflictions. Sin is the cause of fear 
which God produced. " He woundeth and cureth, He 
striketh and His Hands shall heal" (Job v. i8). It is 
the part of God to Inflict, to strike terror in the soul ; 
no created power can strike terror In our conscience 
and convey comfort to it. This Is the office of God 
alone. The outward man is liable to the wrath of man, 
but the conscience Is God's peculiarly. Fear not them 
who can destroy the body, but Him who can strike ter- 
ror into the conscience, who can affright the soul. 

Outward applications cannot cure inward maladies — 
spiritual comforts are from. God only. The guilt of cer- 
tain sins which are unpunishable by civil authority, 
haunt our conscience ; again, when no eye can see 
us or can accuse us of sins, yet the soul is troubled 
and perplexed. Cain had an easy escapement ; there 
was none but his father upon earth ; yet salth he, 
Every one tJiat findeth 7ne shall kill me (Gen. iv. 14). So 
David cried out, Against Thee have I sijined {Vs3\. 1.). 

There are three ways of curing our physical maladies : 
First, by allaying the pain ; second, by stupefying the 
part affected ; third, by removing the cause. So some 
outward worldly means may for a while allay and miti- 
gate our spiritual anguishes ; as pleasure : Saul gets the 
harp to chase away the evil spirit ; or employment : 
Cain commences to build cities, to drive away his ter- 
rors ; but this is no cure — others drown sorrow, yet this 
cures not. The cure cannot be effected but by remov- 
ing the cause, which is the apprehension of God's power 
against us. We should avoid the causes and occasions 
of those physical fears, as there Is no human power able 
to remove them ; God alone Is the true and only means. 

Let us suppose that a disease were in itself deadly. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. II5 

and but one medicine in the world to cure it, and that 
too in the hand and skill of one only physician ; how- 
careful would we be, not to endanger the running into 
that malady. These fears of conscience are like the 
king's-evil ; none can cure it but the king. 

It is said of leprosy that it was not to be cured by 
the art of the physician, but it was left to the Hand of 
God ; so we may say of sin and the fears that arise in 
the soul because of it. God loves to see His people in 
a joyful, comfortable condition : " F'or a small moment 
have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I 
gather thee. In a moment of indignation have I hid 
my face a little while from thee, but with everlasting 
kindness have I had mercy on thee, said the Lord thy 
Redeemer" (Isa. liv. 7, 8). 

Christ came and touched them and said : Arise, and 
fear not. There was healing in His very touch, because 
the virtue that emanated from His divinity was a fount- 
ain of life. By His touch the daughter of Jairus was 
raised to life — two blind men were healed. If I but 
touch the hem of His garment I shall be healed ; and 
she was according to her faith healed. 

When our Blessed Redeemer embarked with His dis- 
ciples, a storm arose in the Sea of Galilee. Whilst all 
went on well the apostles were unmindful of Providence, 
but after a little while, seeing the bursting seas foam 
over the deck, they hasten to the Saviour, saying, Lord, 
save us, ive perish, and Jesus consoled their trembling 
hearts by calming the sea. The fear of God manifested 
in that storm made them stronger in faith — Lord, save 
lis, ive perish. God has promised to His saints that 
" they shall dwell securely without any terror " (Ezechiel 
xxxiv. 28). But to the wicked God hath said : ** I will 



Il6 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

laugh in your destruction, I will mock when that shall 
come to you which you feared " (Proverbs i. 26). 
" Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that 
doeth evil " (Rom. ii. 9). ^' Fear, and the pit, and the 
snare are upon them" (Isa. xxiv. 17). But they that 
trust in the Lord shall not fear any evil tidings. '' Be- 
hold, my servants shall rejoice, and you shall be con- 
founded ; behold, my servants shall praise for joyful- 
ness of heart, and you shall cry for sorrow of heart and 
shall howl for grief of spirit " (Isa. Ixv. 14). We should 
say with David : At what time I am afraid, I zvill trust 
in Thee. Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy comes 
in the morning. 

Let us reflect and see the effect which the glorious 
Resurrection of Christ had upon the children of God 
and the children of the devil. At the angel's appear- 
ance the soldiers were afraid, and the holy women were 
afraid. But mark : the fear of the soldiers overwhelmed 
them, and the angels left them to shift as they could — 
there was not any word of comfort spoken to them. But 
the good women, though much perplexed, yet had a word 
of comfort : " Fear not you : for I know that you seek 
Jesus " (Matt, xxviii. 5). St. Paul was in distress, but 
not forsaken. When Daniel was struck with fear, 
then it was said unto him : " Fear not, O man of de- 
sires ; peace be to thee ; take courage and be strong " 
(Daniel x. 19V The voice of God affrights His apos- 
tles ; the voice of Jesus refreshes them. He was sent 
to preach and bring comfort against our fears. "The 
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath 
anointed me ; He hath sent me to preach to the meek, 
to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to 
the captives " (Isa. Ixi. i). Moses preached terror, 



THE MEASURE OF TPIE WORLD. 11/ 

Christ preached peace and comfort ; He had a com- 
passionate heart for the multitudes (Matt. xv. 32), and 
for the tivo blind men (Ibid. xx. 34) ; He was moved 
with compassion toward the poor leper, and cleansed 
him (Mark i. 41). 

If we expect to receive any virtue from our Divine 
Saviour, we must be closely united to Him, because by 
His touch we are assisted. We must touch Him. Faith 
must draw us near to Him. " If I shall touch only 
His garment, I shall be healed " (Matt. ix. 21). Hence, 
saith Christ, " thy faith hath made thee whole." The 
Body of Christ, sanctified and quickened with the Deity, 
served as a powerful instrument to convey spiritual and 
supernatural power. *' And lifting up their eyes they 
saw no one, but only Jesus " (Matt. xvii. 8). They saw 
Christ alone, Moses and Elias having vanished and with- 
drawn. The law and the prophets were to last for a 
time only, when Christ's office and glory and govern- 
ment began — Moses and Elias vanished ; when that 
which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall 
be done away ; that which is imperfect must yield. 
Christ's presence and authority and government in His 
Church are lasting and perpetual. Moses and the prophets 
have served their time, have given place ; but Christ re- 
mains forever. CJirist abicieth forever (John xii. 34). 
Hence the Gospel is called evangelium cBtermun : and 
the time of the Christian Church is called t/ie last time ; 
because there is to be no new instruction in religion, 
no new sacrifice, no change in priests or sacraments, no 
new form of government. The sun, arising, darkens all 
the stars ; so all the former saints are obscured to the 
eye of the Church, and Jesus Christ alone must shine in 
His full glory; as when a king enters into any city all 



Il8 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

authority is resigned up to him, so Moses and the 
prophets all yield up their place in the Church to Christ. 
He is the chief Doctor and Legislator. He teaches as 
one having authority ; and it is in His power to pro- 
pound what truths He will : He is the Lord of our 
faith, and may propound to our faith whatsoever He 
pleases. All other teachers are delegated, and must be 
regulated from this Grand Doctor. " The counsel of 
masters are given from one shepherd " (Ecclesiasticus 
xii. ii). Therefore, the apostles are messengers not 
going in their own names, or publishing what pleases 
them, but receiving tidings from Him who sent them. 
They are ambassadors — they must have instructions 
and limited commissions. Christ knows the capacity of 
His Church and children, and what they can bear. 
Thus, having given Solomon a large and capacious 
heart. He imparts to him all kinds of wisdom. To others 
He gave a full proportion for their judgments and un- 
derstandings. Thus St. Paul, being guided by Christ's 
instructions, preached only easy truths to the Corinth- 
ians ; gave them milk as unto babes — but to those who 
have exercised judgments, for them stronger truths. 
Thus, as the High-Priest was to divide the sacrifice: 
to God, His part; to the priests, their part ; to the peo- 
ple, their part ; so there are some truths which we must 
leave to God — some for ministers, and some for the 
people. That is the injunction. 

Christ reserved some truths of His doctrine from 
publication till afterward. Having cured two blind 
men, He charged that none should know it (Matt. 
ix. 30). Having raised the daughter of Jairus from 
the dead. He charged none should know it (Mark v. 
43). Thus, in the Old Testament, the mystery of the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. II9 

Trinity was reservedly revealed — the divinity of the Mes- 
sias, that He was to be Man, was more evident ; but it was 
almost a secret that He was God. The Scribes could not 
conceive how David's son should be David's Lord. The 
calling of the Gentiles was a secret hidden from genera- 
tions. The Jews counted it blasphemy in Stephen when 
he said the ordinances of Moses should be changed. So 
now to us are hidden : i, The conversion of the Jews ; 
2, The overthrow of Antichrist ; 3, The second coming 
of Christ. 

Christ was in a state of humiliation ; so He will have 
His majesty and glory covered. He was declared to be 
the Son of God by the Resurrection from the dead 
(Rom. i. 4). It shows Christ's modesty, He is not am- 
bitious to publish it. As St. Paul concealed his revela- 
tions for fourteen years ; he glories in his infirmities and 
weaknesses ; but, till he was constrained, he kept his 
rapture concealed. The apostles were inepti, weak and 
carnal, not sufficiently grounded in the doctrine of 
Christ's divinity; after His Resurrection they were en- 
dowed with strength from above, and then those mys- 
teries that they could not bear, the Comforter revealed 
to them. 

The infidelity of the world was not yet to be removed ; 
it would not believe there had been such a vision. Pilate 
was troubled to hear it mentioned that Jesus Christ 
was the Son of God. Christ concealed His Deity to 
give way to His Passion. " He charged them, saying : 
Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of Man be risen 
from the dead " (Matt. xvii. 9) ; but He spoke plainly of 
His Passion (Mark viii. 32). 



120 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



HISTORICAL AND MYSTICAL CHARACTER 

OF OUR 

SAVIOUR'S PASSION AND DEATH. 

The Passion and Death of our Lord is the most re- 
markable and extraordinary event recorded in the his- 
tory of the world. ^' He humbled Himself," says St. 
Paul, ^' becoming obedient unto death, even to the 
death of the cross " (Phil. ii. 8). He who thus hum- 
bled Himself, being first made man, then dying, and 
that upon the shameful and agonizing cross, was the 
same who from eternity had been *' in the form of God," 
and was " equal with God," as the apostle declares : '' In 
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with 
God, and the Word was God ; the same was in the be- 
ginning with God." Thus speaks St. John, and he 
goes on to say, " and the Word was made flesh and 
dwelt among us," and at the close of his Gospel he 
gives an account of our Lord's death upon the cross. 

The death of Christ was accomplished by His own 
free will, which gave merit to His sufferings. 

Christ was the Lord of His own life : " No man 
takes it from me ; I lay it down." His death was a ful- 
filment of God's counsel and ordination. His death 
was appointed from eternity (Acts iv. 28): ''To do 
what Thy hand and Thy counsel decreed to be done." 
He is the Lamb slain from the begi?tning of the world. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 121 

Only Christ's actual suffering accomplished it, else how 
should the Scripture be fulfilled? 

Let us try and fix our minds upon this great thought. 
Let us look upon Him who was lifted up that He might 
draw us to Him. 

1 will here call the atteation of my readers to that 
dreadful yet most joyful event — the Passion and Death 
of our Lord. Jesus Christ and Him crucified was the 
great science which St. Paul desired to know. This 
is the knowledge which concerns us most of all. De- 
votion to the Passion is at once the surest sign of pre- 
destination, and the shortest road to heaven. To the 
young and old, to the rich and poor, for clergy and 
laity, the Passion is the grand object of devotion. It 
was the marked characteristic of primitive time. All 
that was beautiful in the middle ages shaped itself pre- 
eminently upon the Passion. The Church herself is 
perpetually honoring the Passion of her Spouse. There 
is nothing new to be said of it ; but every man has his 
own way of saying old things, by which he reaches un- 
expected places in the hearts of men and kindles fresh 
varieties of love. 

Let us study the science of Christ crucified with St. 
Mary Magdalen, whose memory perfumes the whole 
Church with the balm of the Blessed Passion. The 
science of Christ crucified gives us what in these days 
we want most of all — the old simplicity of faith. What 
is progress but an entanglement ? What is the breadth 
of literature but a distraction from God ? There is no 
grandeur in our work except through the old simplicity 
of faith. 

The Last Supper or the agony in the Garden, the Burial 
of Jesus or His Resurrection — upon the whole, this is the 
6 



122 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

best way to consider the Passion, because it is the most 
necessary to the devotion of the faithful. Every mys- 
tery has its own lesson to teach, and contains its own 
treasures of prayer and meditation. We can never un- 
derstand the Passion unless by repeated meditation we 
have mastered it in detail. 

Let us make a simple picture of the Passion for our- 
selves. We stand upon Mount Calvary. There is a 
preternatural darkness all round us ; Christ hanging on 
the cross, facing the west as if in prophecy of its grand 
Christian future. Standing beneath the cross, now cov- 
ered with blood, is the broken-hearted mother of God, 
and now also mother of men. There also is the apostle 
John. There also is the glorious Magdalen, the bright- 
est trophy of God's love. O, Magdalen ! thou art there 
to tell how the hopes of all men may be so bold as to 
take refuge upon Calvary. 

This is the Passion, the Passion consummated. This 
is the incredible revelation of the Divine perfections, 
which an angel's intelligence could never have imagined, 
and even now is unable to fathom. Incredible even 
when revealed, unless also a supernatural gift be given 
with the knowledge whereby we may be strengthened 
to believe it. That mystery on Mount Calvary is the 
fountain of all supernatural things. The blood shed on 
Calvary's cross has inundated all the children of forty 
centuries with innumerable graces, while it was still un- 
shed itself. There has not been a grace in any human 
soul from Adam onward but it came from the foresight 
of that Calvary. 

Even the inanimate creation had some sort of con- 
sciousness that Calvary was the centre of the world, 
even as old tradition held, that the waters- of the Deluge 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 23 

drifted thither the body of Adam and entombed it in 
the yielding soil. 

Take the wings of your fancy and sweep over the 
broad regions of the earth, or send back your thoughts 
through the long series of ages past, and you will find 
the remarks always to hold good. It is that whatsoever 
you see anywhere of the beautiful, the great, or the last- 
ing, it is always sure to be the fruit of a well-directed, 
persevering meditation on our Lord's Passion. 

If the history of the world previous to the Passion is 
filled w^ith presentiments of it, and is wholly unintel- 
ligible except by the light of it, much greater is the in- 
fluence of the Passion upon the history which follows. 
It has implanted new ideas in men's minds ; it has 
worn deep traces upon their language ; it has van- 
quished the philosophy of the East, and given some so- 
briety to its wild and voluptuous dreams ; it has en- 
larged the moral instincts of men ; great social institutions 
shall be based upon it ; governments shall acknowledge 
it as their authoritative guidance ; it shall shape and 
fashion private life. From the day on which the mys- 
tery is accomplished, the world shall never get from 
under the influence of Calvary. Christ has been cruci- 
fied ; and every event in the world shall draw from this 
fact more or less of its significance ; the world, as it gets 
further from Calvary, shall become more personal in its 
hostility to Christ. 

From the great outward world, let us come to our 
secret selves. However remote our generation may be 
from the era of the mystery ; whatever our lot may be 
among the diversities of human fortune ; however far off 
from Judea our home may lie ; our darkness and our 
light come from the top of Calvary. It is well or ill 



124 1'HE CROSS OF CHRIST 

with us, according as we are in harmony with the Pas- 
sion which was accompHshed there. All our miseries 
came there centuries ago, and were seen clearer than 
objects in the noonday by the inward eye of our dying 
Lord. They were weighed in detail — nothing escaped 
Him ; His precious Blood was offered and accepted, and 
we became regenerated, sanctified, and redeemed. Thus 
the Passion rules the history of the world before the 
flood, of the world of the patriarchs, of the Israelites, of 
the heathen, before the coming of our Lord — and, in a 
stricter sense, is it almost itself the history of the world 
from the Crucifixion to the Doom. Thus is it also the 
secret of all biographies of individual souls : all their 
ruin comes from their disloyalty to the Passion ; all 
their holiness in time, and their glory in eternity, are 
the consequences of their loyalty to the Passion. 

And, O ! what a marvellous spectacle was once 
exhibited on that memorable Mount Calvary! He 
^' who clothes Himself with light, as with a garment ; 
and walks upon the wings of the wind," of whom the 
sacred Scriptures say : He zvalkciJi upon the zvaves of 
the sea: to denote His uncontrollable power (Job. ix. 
8) ; He ivalketh about the poles of heaven : to express 
the immensity of His presence (Ibid. xxii. 14); He 
walketh upon the wings of the wind: to signify the 
amazing swiftness of His operations (Psal. ciii. 3) — He 
was pleased to wear the habiliments of mortality, and 
dwelt among the prostrate dead. Who can repeat 
the wondrous truth too often ? Who can dwell upon 
the transporting theme too long ? He who sits en- 
throned in glory, and diffuses bliss among all the heav- 
enly hosts ; He was once a pale and bloody corpse. O 
Death ! how great was thy triumph in that hour ! never 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 25 

did thy gloomy realms contain such a prisoner before — 
prisoner, did I say? No ; He was more than conqueror, 
He arose, far more mightily than Samson, from a tran- 
sient slumber; broke down the gates and the strong- 
holds of those dark dominions — and this, O mortals ! 
this is the only consolation and secnrity : Jesus has trod 
the dreadful path, and smoothed it for your passage ; 
Jesus, sleeping in the chambers of the tomb, has bright- 
ened the dismal mansion, and left an inviting odor in 
those beds of dust ; the dying Jesus — (never let the 
comfortable truth depart from your minds) — the dying 
Jesus is your protection, your unquestionable /rt'i'.s^^r/, 
through the territories of the grave. Christ took flesh, 
and gave up the ghost, though He was the great I Am ; 
the fountain of existence ; who calls happiness and im- 
mortality all His own. He, who thought it no robbery 
to be equal with God ; He, whose outgoings were from 
everlasting; even He, made in the likeness of man, and 
cut out of the land of the living — wonder, O heaven ! 
be astonished, O earth ! He died the death, of whom it 
is witnessed that He is the t7'iie God and eternal life 
(John v.). The divine Redeemer expired in tedious and 
protracted torments. His pangs were as lingering as 
they were exquisite. Even in the prelude to His last 
suffering, what a load of sorrows overwhelmed His sacred 
Humanity ! till the intolerable pressure wrung blood, 
instead of sweat, from every pore ; till the crimson blood 
bathed His body, stained all His raiment, and tinged 
the very stones. But when the last scene of the tragedy 
commenced, when the executioner's hammer had nailed 
Him to the cross ; O ! how many dismal hours did that 
illustrious sufferer hang, a spectacle of woe to God, to 
angels, and to men ! His temples mangled with the 



126 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

thorny crown ! His hands and feet cleft with the rugged 
irons ! His whole Body covered with wounds and bruises ! 
and His soul, His very soul, pierced with pangs of 
unutterable distress! — so long He hung that nature, 
through all her dominions, was thrown into sympathiz- 
ing commotion. The eartJi could no longer sustain such 
barbarous indignities, without trembling ; nor the sun 
behold them, without horror. Nay, so long did He 
hang in this extremity of torture, that the alarm reached 
even the remote regions of the dead. Never, O my soul, 
never forget the amazing truth ! The Lamb of God 
was seized and bound ; was slaughtered, with the ut- 
most inhumanity ; and endured death, in all its bitter- 
ness ; for His murderers, studiously cruel, so guided the 
fatal cup that He tasted every drop of its gall before He 
drank it off to the very dregs. 

The warrior dies like a hero, and falls gallantly in the 
field of battle — but Christ died not on the bed of honor, 
with scars of glory on His breast ; but like some exe- 
crable miscreant, on a gibbet ; with lashes of the vile 
scourge on His back. Yes, the blessed Jesus bowed His 
expiring head on the accursed tree ; suspended between 
heaven and earth, as an outcast from both, and unwor- 
thy of either. What suitable returns of adorable and 
inflamed devotion can we make to the Holy One God ; 
thus dying that we might live ! dying in ignominy and 
anguish that we might live forever in the heights of 
joy, and sit forever on thrones of glory ! Alas ! it is 
not in us impotent, insensible mortals, to be duly thank- 
ful ; He only who confers such inconceivably rich favors 
can enkindle a proper v/armth of grateful affection. 

Inscribe the memory of Thy matchless beneficence, 
not with ink and pen, but with that precious blood 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 12/ 

which gushed from Thy wounded veins. Engrave it, 
not with the hammer and chisel, but with that sharpened 
spear which pierced Thy sacred side. Let it stand con- 
spicuous and indeHble, not on the frames of stone, but 
on the very inmost tables of our heart. 

The only infallible way of immortalizing our charac- 
ters, a way equally open to the meanest and most ex- 
alted fortune, is " to make our calling and election 
sure "; to gain some sweet evidence that our names are 
zvritten in heaven. Then, however they may be disre- 
garded or forgotten among men, they will not fail to 
be had in everlasting remembrance before the Lord. 
For hear what the oracle of heaven says : Whosoever 
believeth in me shall 7iever die (John xi.). What sublimiC 
and emphatical language is this ! Thus much, at least, 
it must import. The nature of that last change shall 
be surprisingly altered for the better. It shall no longer 
be inflicted as a punishment, but rather be vouchsafed 
as a blessing. To such persons it shall come attended 
with such a train of benefits as will render it a kind of 
happy impropriety to call it dying. Dying ! no ; it is 
then they truly begin to live. Their exit is the end of 
their frailty and their entrance upon perfection. Their 
last groan is the prelude to life and immortality. 

I do not say we shall ever be able to solve the mys- 
tery of the Son of God dying on the cross for us, but 
we may understand in what the mystery consists ; and 
that is what men are deficient in. Let it be under- 
stood, then, that the Almighty Son of God, who had 
been in the bosom of the Father from everlasting, be- 
came man, as truly as He was always God. He was of 
the same substance with God, and was God, because 
the Father was God. He was truly God, but He be- 



128 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

came as truly man. " The Word was made flesh," but 
even this was not all. Not only was He ^' made man," 
but He ^' was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. 
He suffered and was buried." 

Jesus Christ expiated our sins by His death on the 
cross. He is said to be the/rzVr, '■^Xurpov^ of our re- 
demption (Matt. XX. 28). " We were redeemed by His 
blood" (i Peter i. 18). St. Paul says that men are 
"justified freely through the redemption of Christ," 
who is the expiatory victim through His blood '' for 
the remission of former sins " (Rom. iii. 24). *' The 
blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins " (i John i. 
17), for which '' He is the propitiation " (i John ii. 2). In 
the Apocalypse we are said to be washed and redeemed 
by His blood : '' Who hath loved us, and washed us 
from our sins in His own blood " (Apoc. i. 5). '' Thou 
wast slain and hast redeemed us to God, in Thy blood " 
(Apoc. V. 9). St. Paul even speaks of God " purchas- 
ing us with His own blood," and of the '' Lord of glory " 
being ''killed," expressions which, more than any other, 
show how absolutely and simply He had put on Him 
the nature of man. As the soul acts through the body 
as its instrument, \i\ a more perfect way, but as inti- 
mately, did the Eternal Word of God act through the 
manhood which He had taken. When He spoke, it 
was literally God speaking; when He suffered, it was 
God suffering — not that the Divine nature itself could 
suffer any more than our soul can see or hear ; but as 
the soul sees and hears through the organs of the body, 
so God the Son suffered in that human nature which 
He had taken to Him.self and made His own. And in 
that nature He did truly suffer, as truly as He framed 
the worlds through His almighty power. So through 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 12^ 

His human nature did He suffer ; for when He came on 
earth His manhood became as truly and personally His 
as His almighty power had been from everlasting. 

When we think of this we cannot read the last chap- 
ters of the four Gospels without fear and trembling. 

For instance, when our blessed Lord, the eternal wis- 
dom of God, was interrogated like a criminal and judged 
by His own creatures. Caiphas began by questioning 
Him about His disciples and His doctrine. Of His 
disciples He said nothing ; and for His doctrine He re- 
ferred him to those who had heard it in the synagogue 
and Temple, having always spoken openly to the world. 
'' When He had thus spoken, one of the officers stand- 
ing by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying: 
Answerest Thou the high-priest so?" (John xvii. 22). 
In weak men such an insult might have kindled an in- 
extinguishable desire of revenge. But from Jesus, the 
sovereign disposer of life and death, it drew this meek 
reply: "If I have spoken evil, give testimony of the 
evil ; but if well, why strikest thou me? " (John xviii. 

23)- 

Then were His accusers called upon to prove all they 

could against Him. But so irreproachable in all things 
had been His conduct, and so pure in His doctrine that 
not the shadow even of anything wrong could be dis- 
covered either in one or in the other. Many allegations 
were indeed advanced, but on no other foundation than 
false report. The evidence, far from agreeing, even 
contradicted and defeated itself. Jesus remained silent 
before the wicked high-priest, who, finding it impossible 
to ground any reasonable charge against Him, took ad- 
vantage of the candor and truthfulness of the Saviour's 
character to convict Him, if possible, out of His own 
6* 



130 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

mouth. The high-priest then rising up, adjured Him 
by the hving God to tell them if He were the Christ, 
the Son of God. Out of respect to the sacred name of 
God, Jesus replied: I am ; and y on shall hereafter see 
the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power 
of Godj and coming in the clouds of heaven. Jesus hesi- 
tates not a moment to declare Himself such as He was ; 
and the high-priest with all the rage of hypocritical 
zeal rent his garments, and exclaimed : " He hath blas- 
phemed ; what further need have we of witnesses? Be- 
hold, now you have heard the blasphemy from His own 
mouth. What is your opinion ? " With one voice the 
whole council answered : " He is guilty of death " (Matt. 
xxvi. (dG). 

The night being far advanced, the high-priest went 
out of court, leaving Jesus unprotected and defenceless 
in the hands of an insolent rabble. There was scarce 
any kind of barbarous insult which they did not inflict 
on the innocent Jesus during the course of the night. 
The men that held Jesus mocked Him, and struck Him, 
and when they had blindfolded Him they smote Him 
on the face, and asked Him, saying : '' Prophesy, who 
is it that struck Thee ? and many other things blas- 
phemously said they against Him " (Luke xxii. 63, 65). 

And Herod with his army set Him at naught, and 
mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and 
sent Him back to Pilate. 

Pilate upon this called together the chief priests, the 
magistrates, and people ; and began to plead before 
them in favor of the innocent Jesus. For he plainly 
saw that the Jewish envy was his only crime. ''You 
have brought this man before me," said he; "you have 
charged Him with many crimes, but have proved no- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I3I 

thing. I have examined, I have interrogated Him in 
your presence, and have not found Him guilty of one 
offence, nor has Herod. I will therefore release Him 
conformably to the custom which obliges me at this 
solemn festival to set some one prisoner free, as your 
choice shall determine. There is in custody a notori- 
ous robber called Barabbas, who in a seditious riot has 
committed murder. Which of the two is it your will I 
shall release?" *' Not Him, not Him, but Barabbas," 
was the tumultuous cry. " What then shall I do with 
Jesus?" replied Pilate. " Crucify Him, crucify Him ! " 
'' What evil has He done? I find Him guiltless." '' It 
matters not ; crucify Him," they cried again, " and re- 
lease Barabbas." They grew more loud and clamorous 
in their demand ; Pilate weakly yielded, and the mur- 
derer was released. 

Pilate, having gone thus far to satisfy the mob, though 
at the expense of justice and against his own conscience, 
proceeded to greater acts of cruelty and injustice. " Pi- 
late therefore took Jesus and scourged Him ; and the 
soldiers platted a crown of thorns and put it on His 
head, and a reed in His right hand " (Matt, xxvii.), 
" and they put on Him a purple robe, and said. Hail, 
King of the Jews ! and they smote Him on the head 
with a reed, and did spit upon Him, and bowing their 
knees, worshipped Him. Then came Jesus forth wear- 
ing the crown of thorns and the purple robe " (Mark xv.). 

Lastly, '' When they were come to the place which is 
called Calvary, there they crucified Him. " (Luke xxiii. 
33) between two malefactors, and even there they did 
not cease insulting Him ; but all of them, chief priests 
and people, stood beholding and bidding Him come 
down from the cross. How sharp, how deep did these 



132 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

insults cut into His sacred heart — that heart most ten- 
der, the most benevolent, and the most kind that had 
been ever formed by the hand of Omnipotence ! 

Now let us consider that that face, so barbarously 
smitten, was the face of God Himself; the brows bloody 
with the thorns, the sacred body exposed to view and 
lacerated with the scourge, the hands nailed to the 
cross, and, afterward, the side pierced with the spear ; 
it was the blood and the sacred flesh, and the hands, 
and the temples, and the side, and the feet of God Him- 
self, which the frenzied multitude then gazed upon. 
This is so fearful a thought that, when the mind first 
masters it, surely it will be difficult to think of anything 
else ; so that while we think of it we must pray God to 
temper it to us, and give us strength to think of it 
rightly, lest it be too much for us. 

When we reflect, then, that Almighty God Himself, 
God the Son, was the sufferer, we shall understand bet- 
ter than we have hitherto the description given of Him 
by the Evangelists ; we shall see the meaning of His 
silence, and the words He used when He spoke, and 
Pilate's awe at them. "And' the high-priest arose, and 
said unto Him : Answerest Thou nothing to the things 
which these witness against Thee? but Jesus held His 
peace " (Matt. xxvi. 62, 6^). 

When He was accused by the chief priests and an- 
cients, He answered nothing. Then s^id Pilate unto 
Him : " Dost Thou not hear how great testimonies they 
allege against Thee ? and He answered him not to 
any word, so that the governor wondered exceedingly " 
(Ibid, xxvii. 12-14). The Jews answered Him: ''We 
have a law, and according to the law He ought to die, 
because He made Himself the Son of God'' (John xix. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 33 

7-9). " When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was 
the more afraid, and went again into the judgment-hall 
and said to Jesus : Whence art Thou ? But Jesus gave 
him no answer." 

" And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad : 
for he was desirous to see Him of a long time, because 
he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to 
have some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned 
Him in many words ; but He answered him nothing" 
(Luke xxiii. 8, 9). 

Lastly, His words to the women who followed Him : 
" Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me, but weep 
for yourselves and for your children ; for behold the 
days shall come wherein they will say : Blessed are the 
barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps 
that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say 
to the mountains: Fall upon us; and to the hills: Cover 
us" (Luke xxiii. 28-30). 

Consider the words of the beloved disciple, in antici- 
pation of His coming at the end of the world : " Behold 
He Cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see 
Him, and they also that pierced Him : and all the 
tribes of the earth shall bewail because of Him. Even 
so, Amen " (Apoc. i. 7). 

Yes, we shall all of us one day see that holy counten- 
ance which wicked men struck and dishonored ; we 
shall see those beneficent hands that were submitted to 
the ponderous hammer and the piercing nail ; that side 
which was pierced. We shall see all this, and it will be 
the sight of the God-man. 

The great mystery of Christ's Cross and Passion ; the 
sufferings and death of the Word Incarnate could not 
pass away like a dream ; they could not be a mere mar- 



134 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

tyrdom, or a mere display or figure of something else, 
they must have a virtue in them. But we are told that 
the fruits of Christ's death are also revealed ; they are 
these : The satisfaction of God' s justice ; our reconcilia- 
tion to God ; the expiation of our sins ; our new creation 
in holiness ; perfect redemption ; a complete victory over 
Satan, the world, and sin, and the full possession of the 
kingdom of heaven. 

We had need of a reconciliation, for by nature we are 
outcasts. From the time of Adam's fall, all his children 
have been under a curse. " In Adam all die " (i Cor. 
XV. 22). Nor should it be wondered at, seeing that 
Christ died on the cross, that we had deserved death 
joined with the malediction of God ; but the punish- 
ment of the cross was a malediction, or at least He who 
Avas fastened to the cross was said to be cursed, and sus- 
pension was the sign of a resting malediction, accord- 
ing to that which is written : Maledictus omnis qui 
pendet in ligno (Deut. xxi. 22, 23). 

It was necessary, therefore, that Jesus Christ should 
undergo this cursed death, that thus He might free 
us from the malediction. '' Christ hath redeemed us," 
says the apostle, " from the curse of the Law, being 
made a curse for us ; for it is written : Cursed is' every 
one that hangeth on a tree'' (Gal. iii. 13). Again he 
says that Christ has " made peace by the blood of His 
cross. He has ^ reconciled ' us in the body of His flesh 
through death, to present us holy, and unspotted, and 
blameless before Him " (Col. i. 20-22). Or, as St. 
John says : *' The saints have washed their robes and 
made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 
vii. 14). And no one speaks more definitely on this 
great mystery than the prophet Isaias, many hundred 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 35 

years before it was accomplished. Read his fifty-third 
chapter. 

We believe, then, that when Christ suffered on the 
cross, our nature suffered in Him ; human nature, fallen 
and corrupt, was under the wrath of God, and it was 
impossible that it should be restored to His favor till it 
had expiated its sin by suffering. Why this was neces- 
sary, we know not ; but we are told expressly that we 
are "all by nature children of wrath," that ^'' by the 
deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified," and 
that " the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the 
people that forget God." The Son of God then took 
our nature on Him, that in Him it might do and suffer 
what in itself was impossible to it. What it could not 
effect of itself, it could effect in Him. He carried it 
about Him through a life of penance. He carried it 
forward to agony and death. In Him our sinful nature 
died and rose again. When it died in Him on the 
cross, that death was its new creation. In Him it satis- 
fied its old and heavy debt ; for the presence of His 
divinity gave it a transcendent merit. The sufferings 
of our sinful nature were very great and most grievous, 
nevertheless they were not eternal; the sinner deserved 
eternal punishment, but the infinite dignity of Christ's 
Person compensated the infinity of time. And thus, 
when our nature had been offered up upon the cross, 
and was made perfect by suffering, it became the first- 
fruits of a new man ; it became a divine leaven of holi- 
ness for the new birth and spiritual life of as many as 
should receive it. And thus the apostle says : " If one 
died for all, then a/lwevQ dead " (2 Cor. v. 14). 

" Our old man is crucified wzt/i Him, that the body 
of sin may be destroyed " (Rom. vi. 6) ; and " when 



13^ THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

we were dead In sins He quickened us together in 
Christ, and raised us up together, and made us sit to- 
gether in the hesLYQuly p/aces through Christ Jesus" 
(Eph. ii. 5, 6). Thus *' we are members of His body 
from His flesh, and from His bones : for whosoever 
eateth His flesh and drinketh His blood hath eternal 
life ": for His flesh is meat indeed, and His blood is 
drink indeed ; and " he that eateth His flesh and drink- 
eth His blood abideth in Him and He in him" (John 
vi. 54-56). 

These doctrines present to us a very different view of 
life from that which the world takes. Men whose 
hearts are set on schemes of this world, had they been 
alive when Jesus Christ came, would have disbelieved 
and derided the holy and mysterious doctrines which 
He brought. Alas ! is there any doubt at all that they 
would have fulfilled St. John's words : " Darkness com- 
prehended it not." There would have been no syinpatJiy 
between them and the calm and heavenly mind of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. They would have said that His 
Gospel was strange, extravagant, incredible. What ! 
(it would have been said), the Son of God taking human 
flesh? Impossible! The Son of God, separate from 
God, yet one with Him ! *' How can these things be? " 
God Himself suffering on the cross, the Almighty ever- 
lasting God in the form of a servant, with human flesh 
and blood, wounded, insulted, dying? and all this as an 
expiation of human sin ? Why (they would ask) was 
an expiation necessary? Why could not the All-mer- 
ciful Father pardon without one ? Why is human sin 
to be accounted so great an evil? We see no necessity 
for so marvellous a remedy ; we refuse to admit of a 
course of doctrine so utterly unlike anything which the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 37 

face of this world tells us. And as for Christ's miracles, 
if they had not seen them, they would not have believed 
the report ; if they had, they would have been ready 
enough to refer them to juggling craft ; if not, as the 
Jews did, to Beelzebub. 

Such will the holy truths of the Gospel ever appear 
to those who live to this world, whether they love its 
pleasures, its comforts, its prizes, or its struggles ; their 
eyes are waxen gross, they cannot see Christ spiritually. 
When they see Him, there is no beauty in Him that 
they should desire Him. Thus they become unbeliev- 
ing. In our Lord's words, " No servant can serve two 
masters "; for either he will hate the one and love the 
other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. 
Yo?i cannot serve God and mammon (Luke xvi. 13, 15). 
When our Lord said this, the Pharisees derided Him, 
and He said unto them: "You are they who justify 
yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts ; 
for that which is high to men is an abomination before 
God." God grant that we may not be of those who 
"justify themselves before men," and "deride" those 
who preach the severe doctrine of the Cross ! God 
grant that we may desire honestly to know God's will ! 
God grant that we may not pervert and dilute His holy 
Word, put upon it the false interpretations of men, in- 
stead of thinking it what it is — a mysterious and super- 
natural subject, as distinct from anything that lies on 
the surface of this world as day is from night, and 
heaven from earth ! 



138 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



THE CROSS OF CHRIST THE MEAS- 
URE OF THE WORLD. 

It is undoubtedly true that large classes of men live 
and die without reflecting at all upon the state of things 
in which they find themselves. They take things as they 
come, and follow their inclinations as far as they have 
the opportunity. They are guided by pleasure and 
pain, not by reason and principle; and they do not at- 
tempt to interpret this world, to determine what it 
means, or to reduce what they see and feel to system. 
But when persons, either from thoughtfulness of mind, 
or from intellectual activity, begin to contemplate the 
visible things into which they are born, then they find 
it a perplexity, a riddle which they cannot solve. Why 
it is, and what it is, and how it is, and how we are come 
to be introduced into the world, and what is our des- 
tiny, are all mysteries. 

In this difficulty some have formed one philosophy 
of life ; others, another. Men had thought they had 
found the key by means of which they might solve the 
mystery. Ten thousand things flash through our minds 
one after another in the course of life, and what are we 
to think of them ? Are we to make light of life alto- 
gether, or treat the whole subject seriously? Are we 
to keep in mind what is past and gone, or are we to 
look on to the future, or are we to be absorbed in what 
is present ? How are we to look at things ? This is 
the question which all persons of observation ask them- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 39 

selves, and answer each in his own way. They wish to 
think by rule, by something within them which may 
harmonize and regulate what is without them. Now, 
let us ask, what is the real key ? What is the Christian 
interpretation of this world ? What is given us by reve- 
lation to estimate and measure this world by ? The 
crucifixion of the Son of God. 

The cross of Jesus Christ has put its due value upon 
everything which we see, upon all fortunes, all ranks, 
all dignities, all pleasures, upon the lust of the flesh, 
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It has 
set a price upon the excitements, the rivalries, the 
hopes, the fears, the desires, the efforts, the triumphs 
of mortal man. It has given a meaning to the various 
trials, the temptations, and sufferings of his earthly 
state. It has made consistent all that seemed discord- 
ant and aimless. It has taught us how to live, how to use 
this world, what to expect, what to desire, what to hope. 

Look around and see what the world presents of 
high and low; consider the pomp, the state, and the 
vainglory. Do you wish to know the worth of it all? 
Look at the cross of Christ. Go to the political world ; 
see nations jealous of nations. Survey the various 
ranks of the community, its parties and their contests. 
What is the end of this turmoil ? The grave. What 
is the measure ? The cross. Go, again, to the world 
of intellect and science : consider this age of wonders 
unparalleled ; of incidents unprecedented in the history 
of the world. Discoveries the most astounding, en- 
terprises the most brilliant elicit our attention and call 
forth our astonishment. Would you form a right judg- 
ment of all this ? Look at the cross. Again : look at 
misery ; look at poverty and destitution ; look at op- 



I40 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

presslon and captivity ; consider pain and suffering, dis- 
eases long or violent ; all that is frightful and revolt- 
ing. Would you know how to rate all these? Gaze 
upon the cross. 

Thus in the cross and Him who hung upon it, all 
things meet ; all things subserve it ; all things need it. 
It is their centre and their interpretation. For He was 
lifted up upon it that He might draw all men and all 
thincrs unto Him. 

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so mnst 
the Son of Man be lifted up, said our Lord to Nicode- 
mus (John iii. 14, 15), that whosoever believeth 'in Him 
may not perish, but may have life everlasting. As then, 
the looking at the brazen serpent (which was a figure of 
the death of Christ) was the means of divine appoint- 
ment to heal the Israelites, who were bitten by the fiery 
serpents sent am.ongst them for their sins, and to secure 
them from temporal death, so the contemplation of the 
Passion of Christ is the great means to heal Christian 
souls from the bites of the infernal serpent, and deliver 
them from everlasting death. 

It will be said that the cross ©f Christ imparts to us 
a view of human life and of the world, which is not that 
we should take if left to ourselves; that if we look at 
things on their surface, they are far more bright and 
sunny than they appear when viewed in the light which 
the cross casts upon them. The world seems made for 
the enjoyment of just such a being as man, and man is 
put into it. He has the capacity of enjoyment, and the 
world supplies the means. How natural this is. What 
simple as well as pleasant philosophy, yet how different 
from that of the cross ! 

The world at first sight appears made for pleasure, 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I4I 

and the vision of Christ's cross is a solemn and sorrow- 
ful sight, interfering with this appearance. Be it so ; 
but why may it not be our duty to abstain from enjoy- 
ment notwithstanding, if it was a duty, even in Eden ? 

But it is a superficial view of things to say that this 
life is made for pleasure and happiness. To those who 
look under the surface it tells a very different tale. 

The doctrine of the cross does but teach, though in- 
finitely more forcibly, still after all it does but teach 
the very same lesson which this world teaches to those 
who live long in it, who have much experience in it, 
who know it. The world is sweet to the lips, but bitter 
to the taste. It pleases at first, but not at last. It 
looks gay on the outside, but evil and misery lie con- 
cealed within. When a man has passed a certain num- 
ber of years in it, he cries out with the Preacher: 
''Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Nay, if he has not 
religion for his guide, he will be forced to go further, 
and say, " all is vanity and vexation of spirit "; all is 
disappointment ; all is sorrow ; all is pain. The sore 
judgments of God upon sin are concealed within, and 
force a man to grieve whether he will or no. Therefore 
the doctrine of the cross of Christ does but anticipate 
for us our experience of the world. 

The heart may be considered as the seat of life ; it is 
the principle of motion, heat, and activity ; from it the 
blood goes to and fro to the extreme parts of the body. 
It sustains the man in his powers and faculties ; it en- 
ables the brain to think ; and when it is touched man 
dies. And in like manner the sacred doctrine of Christ's 
atoning sacrifice is the vital principle on which the 
Christian lives, and without which Christianity is not. 
Without it no other doctrine is held profitably ; to be- 



142 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

lleve in Christ's Divinity or in His manhood, or in the 
Holy Trinity, or in a judgment to come, or in the 
resurrection of the dead, is an untrue beUef, not Chris- 
tian faitli, unless we believe also the doctrine of Christ's 
sacrifice. 

It must not be supposed because the doctrine of the 
cross makes us sad, that therefore the Gospel is a sad 
religion. The Psalmist says : " They that sow in tears 
shall reap in joy," and our Lord says, " They that 
mourn shall be comforted." 

Let no one entertain the idea that the Gospel makes 
us take a gloomy view of the world and of life. It only 
forbids us to begin with enjoyment. It only says : If 
you begin with pleasure you will end with pain. It 
bids us begin with the cross of Christ, and in that cross 
we shall at first find sorrow ; but in a while peace and 
comfort will rise out of that sorrow. 

This is what our Saviour said to His disciples: "Ye 
now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again, 
and your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man 
taketh from you." . . . . " Peace I leave with you ; my 
peace I give unto you ; not as the world giveth, give I 
unto you." And St. Paul says : " The natural man re- 
ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are 
foolishness unto him ; neither can they know them, be- 
cause they are spiritually discerned." '^ Eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the 
heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them 
that love Him " (John xvi. 22 ; xiv. 27 ; i Cor. ii. 9, 14). 
And thus the cross of Christ, as telling us of our re- 
demption as well as of His sufferings, wounds us in- 
deed, but so wounds as to heal also. 

And thus, too, all that is bright and beautiful, even 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I43 

on the surface of this world, though it has no substance, 
and may not suitably be enjoyed for its own sake, yet 
is a figure and promise of that true joy which issues out 
of the atonement. It is a promise beforehand of what 
is to be ; it is a shadow, raising hope because the sub- 
stance is to follow, but not to be rashly taken instead 
of the substance. And it is God's usual mode of deal- 
ing with us, in mercy to send the shadow before the 
substance, that we might take comfort in what is to be 
before it comes. Thus our Lord, before His Passion, 
rode into Jerusalem in triumph, with the multitudes 
crying Hosanna, and strewing His road with palm 
branches and their garments. This was but a vain and 
hollow pageant, nor did our Lord take pleasure in it. 
It was a shadow which stayed not, but flitted away. It 
could not be more than a shadow, for the Passion had 
not been undergone by which His true triumph was 
wrought out. He could not enter into His glory before 
He had first suffered. 

And as regards this world, with all its enjoyments, 
yet disappointments : let us not trust it ; let us not 
give our hearts to it ; let us not begin with it. Let 
us begin with faith ; let us begin with Christ ; let us 
begin with His cross, and the humiliation to which 
it leads. Let us first be drawn to Him who is lifted 
up, that so He may, with Himself, freely give us all 
things. Let us " seek first the kingdom of God and 
His righteousness," and then all those things of this 
world "will be added to us." They alone are able 
truly to enjoy this world who have first abstained from 
it. They alone can truly feast who have first fasted. 
They alone are able to use the world who have learned 
not to abuse it. They alone inherit it who take it as a 



144 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

shadow of the world to come, and who for that world 
to come relinquish it. 

It is well the sacred oracles have given this doctrine 
the most explicit confirmation and evidence quite in- 
contestable ; otherwise, a favor so undeserved might 
stagger our belief. Could He who launches all these 
planetary globes through the illimitable void, and leads 
them on from age to age in their extensive career, could 
He resign His hands to be confined by the girding cord, 
and His back to be ploughed by the bloody scourge ? 
Could He, who crowns all the stars with inextinguish- 
able brightness, be Himself defiled with spitting, and 
disfigured with the thorny scar? It is the greatest of 
wonders, and yet the surest of truths. 

Let the reader pause a while on this important sub- 
ject. What are the schemes which engage the atten- 
tion of eminent statesmen and mighty monarchs, com- 
pared with the grand interests of an immortal soul ? 
The support of commerce, and the success of armies, 
though extremely weighty affairs, yet if laid in the bal- 
ance against the salvation of a soul, are lighter than the 
downy feather poised against talents of gold. To save 
a navy from shipwreck, or a kingdom from slavery, are 
deliverances of the most momentous nature which the 
transactions of mortality can admit. But, oh ! how they 
shrink into an inconsiderable trifle if they are in compe- 
tition with the delivery of a single soul from the anguish 
and horrors of distressed eternity. 

Is such the importance of the soul? What vigilance, 
then, can be too much, or rather, what holy solicitude 
can be sufficient for the overseers of the Saviour's flock, 
and the guardians of this great, this venerable, this in- 
valuable charge ? Since such is the importance of the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I45 

soul, wilt thou, O man, be watchful for the preservation 
of thy own ? Shall every casual incident awaken thy 
concern ? every transitory toy command thy regard ? 
And shall the welfare of thy soul, a work of continual 
occurrence, a work of endless consequence, sue in vain 
for thy serious care? Thy soul, thy soul is thy all. If 
this be secured^ thou art greatly rich and will be un- 
speakably happy. If this be lost-^ the whole world ac- 
quired will leave thee in poverty, and all its delights 
enjoyed will abandon thee to misery. 



14^ THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD. 

" And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the 
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are 
one. And there are three that give testimony on earth, the 
spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three are one." 
—I St. John v. 7, 8. 

It is my design in this treatise to settle the faith and 
hope of Christian souls in the Lord Jesus; which is the 
true scope of the apostle in this part of his epistle. 
That this is the drift of the apostle's discourse, and 
ought to be the intention of mine, will be very appar- 
ent, if we go back so far as the fourth verse of this 
chapter, and from thence take our rise for that argu- 
ment, which I purpose to pursue. 

To know that we are born of God, and so shall be His 
heirs, is a thing above all others, with which we are most 
highly concerned. That we may have therefore a cer- 
tain character of one divinely descended, St. John lays 
down this general mark of Him whereby He may be 
known, that, zvhatsoever is born of God, ovcrcometh the 
world. 

Now next to this there is nothing more necessary and 
desirable to be known, than how we may obtain this 
great and matchless victory over everything in the world 
that opposes our Christian resolution ; and so undoubt- 
edly approve ourselves heroical persons, as they were 
anciently called, that are born from* above. And here 
also the apostle lends us his assistance ; telling us in the 
(146) 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 147 

latter end of \X\q fourth verse, that we must achieve this 
by faith. "And this is the victory which overcometh 
the world, our faith." So powerful is a lively faith that 
he calls it by the name of victory itself. If we believe 
steadfastly, we shall tread the world under our feet, 
and easily despite all its temptations, as those valiant 
champions did, whose example St. Paul sets before us 
in the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews ; a portion of 
Scripture which he that means to be a conqueror, should 
think he can never read too often. 

But there is a further inquiry remaining which every- 
body will be apt to make, and that is, what this Faith 
may be which is so victorious and triumphant. And, 
therefore, the apostle takes care to satisfy us in this 
matter also, when he tells us (verse 5) it is nothing else 
hut to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 

If this be not well proved by substantial arguments 
that Jesus Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary, is 
indeed the Son of God, we can have no solid faith, and 
so no victory; and so no sonship, no hope in another 
world. The apostle therefore, that he may serve us in 
bringing some evident demonstration of this so import- 
ant a truth, tells us in the next words (verse 6) that 
Jesus did not only say. He was God's Son, and confi- 
dently affirm Himself to be the divine Person so long 
looked for to come into the world ; but that He came 
with very sufficient and irreproachable witnesses of it, 
viz., the Water, the Blood, and the Spirit, which made 
this truth good to all those who considered their testi- 
mony. If the first of these [ Water'\ should not be thought 
great enough to merit belief ; yet the second [Blood] 
joined with it adds great force to its persuasion. Or if 
both these seem too weak, yet this last, the Spirit, the 



148 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

apostle doubts not is so strong to conquer men's minds, 
and make them believe in Jesus, that he says : The 
Spirit is truth. That is such an undoubted proof that 
Jesus was what He pretended to be, the Soil of God, 
that no man can be deceived who relies upon it, and no 
man can refuse, if he give heed to it, to rely and de- 
pend upon such a witness. Now the whole country of 
Judea could witness it, that He came by (or rather 
with) Water, Bloody and the Spirit. And the apostle 
does not go about to make this good, that there were 
such witnesses (it being a matter confessed), but rather 
repeats it over again, as the strongest proof of His di- 
vine authority ; adding, moreover, that there were three 
other witnesses, who by their concurring testimony 
would unanimously justify this truth. For, says he, in 
the words which I have chosen to explain : '' There are 
three who give testimony (or witness) in heaven, the 
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost ; and these 
three are one. And there are three that give testimony 
on earth: The Spirit, and the Water, and the Blood, 
and these three are one." As if he had said : You 
cannot reasonably doubt of that which we preach con- 
cerning Jesus Christ, if you go but to those three wit- 
nesses to which I have sent you, the Water, the Blood, 
and the Spirit ; for they all affirm with one mouth, 
that He was the Son of God. And as they testify this 
to you upon the earth, so there are three other wit- 
nesses also who declare it to you from heaven ; to 
whom I first direct you, and then to those three that 
are here on earth, as I have told you, give their testi- 
mony to Him. 

As the thing to be proved by these witnesses is the 
fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, it will be 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I49 

necessary to search a little into the meaning of the 
phrase, before we examine their testimony about it. 
And it must be confessed, that though Jesus be the 
Eternal Son of the Father, God of God, begotten of Him 
before ail worlds ; yet this is not always meant when 
He is called His Son, which is a name not only express- 
ing His nature, but often also His high authority and 
sovereign power, which He hath received as the Media- 
tor between Him and us, from God the Father Almighty. 

The apostle under the name y^j-z/i", comprehends all 
that belongs to His Person, both His divine and human 
nature, and affirms that this Person has sovereign au- 
thority committed to Him by God, the Father of all, 
who hath given Him commission, and deputed Him in 
His stead to declare His mind, and acquaint us with His 
will. And having by Himself purged our sins, promoted 
Him to sit down at the right hand of the majesty on 
high as that great King and Lord of all, by whom we 
are to be governed now and to be judged at the last day. 

In many places of the Holy Scripture, which say, He 
is the Son of God, the meaning is expounded in other 
places to be this : that He is the Christ, or the anointed 
of God. That is, Jesus who was conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary, crucified under 
Pontius Pilate, rose again from the dead, and afterward 
appointed St. John and the rest of the apostles to preach 
those things to all nations which we read in the holy 
Gospel ; was indeed sent of God (according to the an- 
cient prophecies) with His own power and authority, 
and is now, by the suffering of death, crowned with 
glory and honor, to be our King and sovereign God, 
whom we are all to obey, and from whom alone we are 
to expect all our rewards. 



150 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

I shall, In the first place, appeal to the testimony of 
the three heavenly witnesses. The Father^ the Word, 
and the Holy Ghost for the confirmation of this truth, 
and for the supporting thereby of our Faith, that Jesus 
is the Son of God. 

THE TESTIMONY OF THE FATHER. 

If any man urge us to receive a thing which is new 
and strange, we desire him to show good evidence for 
what he says ; and if he fail, or his proofs come not 
home to the purpose, he is so far from gaining any 
credit with those who examine them, that they prove 
a very considerable argument against him. Especially, 
when he pretends to come from God, and to bring us 
messages from heaven, we all expect clearer and more 
divine demonstrations before we resign our mind unto 
him. For if that which stands as a reason for all that a 
man says, be not itself grounded upon the clearest and 
most undeniable proofs, it turns against him and proves 
nothing but a confutation of all that which it was 
brought to assert. 

Now Jesus pretended not only to this honor of com- 
ing from God, but also to a higher dignity of being His 
Son; (begotten of Him before all worlds,) and being 
invested with a power equal to that of the Almighty's. 
If He and His apostles should be defective in their 
proofs of so lofty and weighty a pretension, He would 
be rendered of all others the most contemptible, and 
they become men most ridiculous, for obtruding Him 
on the world. For the greater any assertion is which 
we propound to men's belief, the stronger arguments 
they justly expect to induce persuasion. The proofs. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 15I 

therefore, should be proportionable to the weight of 
the thing, unto which we are to deliver up no less than 
our souls. 

Let us see, therefore, what evidence this beloved dis- 
ciple of Jesus produces and lays before us to make good 
this certain truth, which he preached ; that He is no 
less than the Son of God. Let us hear what his wit- 
nesses say, for he calls them his proofs, to this great 
point ; and consider whether we can reasonably refuse 
to believe it. The ofifice of a witness is to give in all 
the evidence he can for the clearing of any matter In 
question ; for this very end, that thereby the contro- 
versy may be decided upon his credit. When the 
apostle, therefore, calls for his witnesses, who are ready 
to justify this which he asserts, his meaning is, that it 
relies on such solid grounds, that no man shall be able 
to deny Jesus, the only Son of the Father, the Christ 
of God ; unless he can disprove the authority of his 
witnesses, which he was sure would never be in any 
man's power to do, they were of such verity. If this 
be called In question, whether Jesus be the Son of God 
or no, St. John offers his witnesses, faithful and just, of 
unbounded truth and Integrity, who shall make it good. 
So if you will hear them, and then give sentence ac- 
cording to their evidence, you must needs judge that He 
is what He said He was, the Son of God most high, 
and quit Him of all the calumnies and aspersions of 
the Jews, who said He was a deceiver of the people. 

Now the witnesses that He brings, you see, dwell in 
two very distant places : three of them In heaven, and 
the other three on the earth. Let us first hear these 
supreme and heavenly witnesses, and take under exam- 
ination what they declare concerning Him whom we 



152 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

acknowledge for our Lord, and what authority He hath 
according to their testimony to exact all obedience of 
us, as He is the Son of God. And, first of all, let us be- 
gin with the testimony of the Father ; for the truth is 
that He is the first who testified of Jesus, and by His 
voice from heaven, proclaimed Him to be His Son, be- 
fore any of the rest spoke a word ; so according to the 
number of these heavenly witnesses. He gave His tes- 
timony of Him three times : T lie first time was, when 
our Blessed Saviour began to appear publicly among 
the people; " coming from Galilee to the Jordan, unto 
John to be baptized by him" (Matt. iii. 13). He had 
no need of that Baptism, as John affirmed, and our 
Saviour did not deny ; but having assumed human na- 
ture. He would omit nothing that belongs to the duty 
of a pious person, and, therefore. He would have the 
Baptist do to Him as he did to others, knowing that 
he exercised this ministry by the appointment of God. 
Now He had no sooner given this example of humble 
obedience, but as He came out of the water, God the 
Father of heaven declared Him, in express terms, to be 
what St. John here says He was. His only Son ; which 
testimony is recorded by no less than tJiree Evangelists, 
as you may find, if you read (Matt. iii. 17 ; Mark i. ii ; 
Luke iii. 22). This is my beloved SoJi, in zvhom I am 
well pleased. So St. Matthew records the words of 
God the Father (from whom this voice came, it is 
plain, because He calls y>5?/5 His Son), or as they may 
be rendered more emphatically, this is that Son of mine, 
that beloved one (whom the prophets promised particu- 
larly, Isaias xlii. i). St. Mark says the voice was in 
these words : " Thou art my beloved Son, in Thee I 
am well pleased," which plainly tells us that He spoke 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 153 

to Jesus (and not merely of Him), and so St. Luke has 
recorded it more fully and expressly : '^ Thou art my 
beloved Son, in Thee I am well pleased." As if He 
had said, Thou art the person to whom I have a favor 
above all others ; I have anointed Thee above all others, 
none are so dear to me as Thou art, to whom I com- 
mit my authority, and invest with my power, and in- 
trust with all my mind and will. 

Now as we all mistrust private revelation, and think 
it not sufficient ground to believe one that says God 
spoke to him, unless he can bring some other very cred- 
ible person besides himself to attest that he also heard 
it, or be able otherwise to demonstrate it, God was 
pleased, therefore, not only by other means to verify 
this, but so to direct St. Matthew's pen, that he has as 
good as told us that the voice which was directed to 
Jesus Himself, was uttered likewise in the audience of 
John the Baptist, a person famed for his sanctity, rev- 
erenced by all the nation of the Jews, and acknowl- 
edged to be a great prophet. " For the heavens were 
opened unto him " (Matt. iii. 16), and he saw the Spirit 
of God descend upon Him. 

The Father Almighty, by this voice, awakened the 
attention of the Baptist, and bade him, as it were, mark 
it, that this Person to whom he now spoke, was the 
Messias, who now entered upon His office, being de- 
clared the Son of God, and should increase (John iii. 30), 
till He came to be declared by the Resurrection from 
the dead the Son of God in power (Rom. i. 4), that is, 
with all the power belonging to His office of Lord of all 
things, the great King of heaven and earth. God ordered 
the Baptist to make way for His Son, declaring that He 
should immediately appear, and be so much superior to 

7* 



154 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

him (Matt. iii. 1 1) that he should not be worthy to be 
one of the Son's meanest servants. And thus he was told 
by Him that sent him to baptize (John i. 33): that on 
whom he should see that Spirit descend and remain, he 
should conclude that person was the Messias, from 
whom they might expect the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Satan himself, one would think, heard the voice, as 
he declared Jesus to be the Son of God (Matt. iv. 3) : 
'' The devil cried out with a loud voice, saying, I know 
Thee, who Thou art, the Holy One of God " (Luke iv. 
33, 34). " The devils came out of many, crying out and 
saying : Thou art the Son of God, .... for they knew 
that He was Christ " (verse 41). 

If the Father's express testimony, then, be of any 
force, here you have it by an audible voice from heaven. 
And John the Baptist, whom the Jews — the enemies of 
our Saviour — reverence, bears record to him thereupon, 
that Jesus is the Son of God. Now, if any one should 
say that the certainty of this relies upon the testimony 
of one single person, and that it is possible he might have 
heard amiss ; that this great truth might not depend 
upon the credit of the Baptist alone, though a man well 
acquainted with the manner of divine revelations, the 
Father was pleased a second time, and in the audience of 
more witnesses than one, to declare what He had said 
before, that He was His Son. 

This was on the Holy Mount, as you may read in the 
following Evangelists (Matt. xvii. 5 ; Mark ix. 6 ; Luke 
ix. 35), where the Father of all was pleased to declare 
in the same terms as He had done at His Baptism, and 
with an audible voice, which astonished those that heard 
it (Matt. xvii. 6), that He was His beloved Son, in zvhoin 
He was well pleased, to which declaration He adds this 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 55 

command : Hear Him. Now, this voice was uttered in 
the hearing of no less than three persons, whom our 
Saviour had selected from the rest of His company, to 
attend Him on this mountain, where God appeared to 
bear witness to Him ; of which three John was one, who 
therefore could with greater confidence urge here the tes- 
timony of the Father, which he himself heard. Then and 
there, on that Mount, Jesus received from the Father 
honor and glory, when there came forth from the mouth 
of God this voice, in all their hearing : TJiis is my be- 
loved Soil, in whom I am well pleased. 

Thus I have briefly explained the second testimony, 
which God the Father gave Him in the audience of 
three of His disciples, who had a vision also at the same 
time, of the glory wherein He was to shine after His 
departure out of this world. To which testimony our 
Saviour would not have, as yet, those disciples add 
theirs ; but keep this as a secret till He was risen again 
from the dead (Matt. xvii. 9). It was fit for the Father 
alone to speak now, from whom they were to learn what 
Jesus was ; that, being fully satisfied, they might be the 
better able to speak of Him upon their own knowledge. 
And this voice St. Peter openly avers (2 Pet. i. 17, 18) 
he and others heard, when they were with Him on the 
Holy Mount. But, if any one should be so suspicious 
and distrustful as to think that the testimony of three 
is not sufficient, God the Father was pleased, a little 
before our Saviour's decease, which Moses and Elias 
spoke of, to give testimony of Him again, and to de- 
clare this more publicly which was shortly to be pro- 
claimed in all the world. 

For this third voice which the Father was pleased to 
send from heaven, was heard not by so few as two or 



156 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

three, but by a great multitude of people, which makes 
our belief of this truth to rely still upon surer grounds. 
We read (in St. John xii.) that a great multitude of the 
Jews came to Bethany, not for Jesus' sake only, but 
that they might see Lazarus, whom He raised from the 
dead. Among the number who came to worship at the 
feast there were certain Gentiles, who were desirous to 
see Jesus whom the multitude thus magnified, and 
wished to have some proof given them that He was 
such a Person as fame reported Him. 

Now, the first thing our Saviour answers to those who 
presented them to Him (which must be diligently noted), 
is that ere long He should be glorified. But first He 
must take up His cross in His way, and then the glory 
He should attain thereby would be exceedingly great ; 
for His death would procure most precious fruit, and 
be the means of enlarging His kingdom, and bring in 
innumerable such Gentiles as these were unto God. 
And therefore He persuades His disciples (verses 25, 26) 
to adventure their lives, according to His example, for 
the good of mankind, which would redound also very 
much to their own honor; as they might see in Moses 
and Elias (who appeared, St. Chrysostom thinks, for this 
end, among others, to strengthen and encourage their 
Christian resolution in their sufferings. — Hom. 56 in 
Matt.). A difficult work indeed it was, at the thoughts 
of which He himself could not but be somewhat sad 
(verse 27), and wished, according to the inclinations of 
nature, there were some other way, if God pleased, to 
deliver mankind. But since He had sent Him into the 
world for this end — that He should lay down His life 
for our redemption — He resolves to submit to God, and 
desires only this one thing of Him : Father ^ glorify Thy 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 57 

name (verse 28) ; I am ready to part with my life, for I 
know Thou wilt be much more glorified by my Resur- 
rection, and Ascension to heaven. There is no reason- 
able doubt to believe of the truth of this interpretation ; 
for they glorify God most remarkably who die for the 
testimony of the truth (John xxi. 19). 

Now to this humble request of Jesus, God the Father 
replies by a voice from heaven, saying : " I have both 
glorified it (my name) and I will glorify it again." 
Christ told His disciples the " Son of Man should 
shortly be glorified "; but first He must glorify God by 
His Passion, and then '^ God would glorify Him in 
Himself" (John xiii. 32). 

Here God the Father speaks again in the hearing of 
John, in a way that was not vouchsafed to many other 
persons ; and in such a manner (by a voice from heaven),' 
as had not been in use for many ages ; but yet was the 
most ancient way of communicating His mind to men, 
for thus God called to Ada jm in the Garden, and thus He 
spoke to AbraJiani and Moses and Samuel ; and therefore 
He now speaks to Him who was the Second Adam, the 
true 5r£'</promised to Abraham, the prophet like to Moses, 
testifying both to Him and to others by His own voice 
from Heaven (which was the old way of revelation before 
all others, and a clearer way there cannot be) that He 
was His only begotten Son. And here, perhaps, it may 
not be amiss that this voice anciently was very low, 
whereas the voice to our Saviour was loud and strong, 
making a great noise in the ears of those that heard it. 

I have heard the voice as it were of a gentle wind 
(Job iv. 16), and so Elias is said to hear a voice of si- 
lence (3 Kings xix. 12). On the contrary, you read in 
the last place expounded (John xii.) the voice which 



158 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

spoke of our Saviour was so loud and audible that the 
people who were at some distance thought it had been 
a clap of thunder. It did not silently creep into their 
ears, but rent the clouds to make its way with great 
force into them. The voice which the disciples heard 
on the Holy Mount was so clear and piercing, that when 
they heard it they were astonished, and fell flat upon 
their faces (Matt. xvii. 6). The light wherein He ap- 
peared was not more visible than the voice which testi- 
fied to Him was audible, and both were very amazing, 
which may very well denote the excellency of our 
Saviour's person, and efficacy of His doctrine above all 
that had been before Him. He declared God's mind 
more plainly and perspicuously. 

And thus having made an inquiry into the testimony 
of the Father, we find it so full and clear on His behalf, 
that we must either disbelieve God, or else believe in 
Jesus Christy and receive Him for the Son of God. For 
He received more than once honor and glory from God 
the Father, who was so highly glorified also by Him, 
that He hath now completely glorified Him in Himself, 
and therefore expects that His name should be perpet- 
ually glorified and praised by us. 

THE TESTIMONY OF THE WORD. 

We shall now proceed to the examination of the next 
witness, which is the Word, and to weigh the evidence 
which He gives concerning Jesus Christ ; that is, concern- 
ing Him who was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary and 
called by that name, who said He was the Son of God. 

We are told by the same apostle, in the first verse of 
his Gospel, that the Word is a divine being which had 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 59 

subsistence in the beginning of all things. For He 
then was ivith God, the world was made by Him, and 
therefore He was God. Now, this Word, whom the 
ancients call the eternal reason, the wisdom, the power 
of God the Father, St. John tells (verse 14) was made 
flesJi, and was born of the Blessed Virgin, and was the 
man Jesus. '' A mystery," as Gregory Thaumaturgus 
excellently speaks, '' which is to be adored, not scrupu- 
lously and nicely weighed ; to be discoursed of in divine 
words" (Serm. 3, Annunc). 

The whole person God-Man is called the Word, as 
you read in the first epistle of St. John, where the Word 
is described to be such a person as may be seen and 
felt and handled, as well as heard. And He is very 
properly called by this name, because it is His office to 
declare the mind and will of God to men (as we by our 
speech declare ours one to another), which, otherwise, 
we could not know. For " no man hath seen God at 
any time ; the only begotten, who is in the bosom of the 
Father, He hath declared Him" (John i. 18). In these 
words we see why our Lord is called the Word of God. 
Not merely because He has revealed to us the counsel 
of God, for so did the ancient prophets and the holy 
apostles, but because He was the immediate interpreter 
of the divine mind and will, as the word which we speak 
is of ours. For He was in the bosom of the Father ; 
that is, He knew His mind, not by the instructions of 
an angel, not by visions and dreams, nor only by the 
Holy Ghost, but by a more intimate discovery of God's 
counsels and purposes to Him as a person that was 
with Him. He had the nearest familiarity with God, 
and was privy to His secret counsels which He was able 
also to accomplish and to pass. 



l6o THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Jesus was represented in a vision to St. John as a 
" Ki?/g- 0/ kings, and Lord of lords, clothed with a gar- 
ment sprinkled with blood, and His name is called the 
Word of God'' (Apocalypse xix. 13-16). The article 
before His name, o Xoyoi^ the Word, denotes Him to 
be the person to whom this title so particularly and 
eminently belongs, that it can be given to none else. 
Because He had most perfectly declared God's mind 
and will to us, and revealed to us all His secrets in the 
fullest manner that can be. 

We must not at present seek for any evidence which 
He produced while He was on the earth to justify His 
authority, which is comprehended under the itame of 
the Son of God ; but inquire after those only which He 
has given of it since He went to heaven, and from that 
throne of glory, this Word of God asserts this truth on 
three several occasions. 

First of all, He showed Himself to His first martyr, 
St. Stephen, in a sensible majesty standing at the right 
hand of God, in splendor of the divine glory. By the 
power of the Holy Ghost the holy deacon confounded all 
those opposers of the Christian faith. He stopped their 
mouths by the wisdom and spirit wherewith he spoke, 
and they saw there was no other way to silence him but 
by taking away his life. His emiboldened speech before 
the council cut them to the heart, and enraged them to 
the degree of fury that they looked upon him as if they 
would eat him up. But full of the Holy Ghost, and 
fearing nothing from an exasperated multitude, cast up 
his eyes above and fastened them steadfastly upon the 
heavens from whence comes our help ; where he bade 
them all take notice (Acts vii. 54, 55, 56) that he saw 
the glory of God and Jesus shining at His right hand in 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. l6l 

a far greater glory than they had seen In his face. But 
so visible was the royal majesty of our Saviour that he 
could not but proclaim it aloud, and speak, as St. Peter 
said, tJic tilings luJiich he had seen ; though he knew 
they would call it blasphemy, and punish" him for it 
with present death. If any one should ask me how he 
could see the glory of God, and how he knew this to 
be Jesus who appeared at God's right hand, I answer 
that he saw God's glory in the same sense as others 
are said to have seen God. Thus Moses was afraid 
to look upon God (Exod. iii. 6), and the elders of Is- 
rael are said to see the God of Israel. St. Stephen be- 
held the Saviour of the world standing at the right 
hand of God. There never was an angel seen there ,' 
they only stand or minister before God or His throne. 
But to which of the angels did He say at any time, 
" Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy 
footstool".'' (Heb. i. 13). This is the prerogative of 
Christ alone, the great King, the Heir of all things, 
whose glory the Psalmist describes in Psal. ex. i. 

I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of 
God. That very person, he means, who used to call 
Himself the Son of Man, whom you crucified and dis- 
honorably treated, I now see exalted that I had rather 
die as He died than not confess Him to be the Son of 
God, as He said He was whjen He died. 

This was the first testimony which was given to this 
truth by the Word. St. Stephen resigns up his soul to 
Jesus almost in the same words that Jesus gave up His 
to God the Father. The last words of our Saviour were : 
" Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit " (Luke 
xxiii. 46). And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, 
and saying: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 



l62 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

vii. 58). Now, lest any man justly call in question the 
truth of this apparition, our Saviour was pleased a sec- 
ond time to show Himself, and also speak very audibly 
unto another person of great integrity and authority, 
and that was St. Paul ; whose testimony is more con- 
siderable, because he was a person of great note in the 
nation of the Jews, both for his descent and his educa- 
tion, and for his zeal in their religion. The name of 
Jesus was odious to him. He was transported with so 
bloody a rage against His disciples that his intention 
was to send as many of them as he could meet with 
all after St. Stephen, to whose death he had consented 
and kept the garments of them that killed him (Acts 
xxii. 20). And not content to make havoc of the poor 
church at Jerusalem, he enlarged his cruel projects and 
stretched his wrath as far as Damascus ; thither he goes 
armed with authority from the senate (verse 5). In 
short, he breathed forth nothing but fire and sv\^ord 
against the worshippers of Jesus, being exceedingly 
mad against them, according to the account St. Luke 
gives of him (Acts viii. 3 ; ix. i), and which he gives of 
himself (Ibid. xxii. 4 ; xxvi. 1 1). 

Now who would expect that such a man as this 
should himself become a disciple of Jesus Christ, much 
less a preacher of His religion ? A man noted for his 
violence, whose name w^as so terrible to Christian people 
that Ananias was afraid to go and deliver a message to 
him from our Lord^ after he was told something of his 
conversion. Was there any hope that he should ever 
confess and publish the very same thing for which St. Ste- 
phen was stoned ? And yet so powerful were the prayers 
of that holy martyr that our Lord answered them ere 
long by pardoning and converting this enraged zealot. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 163 

The first time and the most remarkable was, when 
our Lord met him upon the road to Damascus, not far 
from the city, and made him fall down and worship 
Him ; whose name he so hated that he would have 
forced all Christians to blaspheme Him. (Read Acts 
ix. 3.) A glorious light from heaven surrounded him, 
and in that wonderful brightness there was a person ap- 
peared to him with such dazzling lustre that after he 
had beheld it he lost his sight, and could not see by 
reason of the brightness of that light (Acts xxii. ii), 
which was the cause that he asked with no small as- 
tonishment : " Who art Thou, Lord?'' Our Lord, the 
Word of God, told him in plain terms, with an audible 
voice : / am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persccutest, 
Saul began to yield himself presently to the heavenly 
King, saying: "What shall I do. Lord?" The Lord 
bade him go to Ananias, who restored his sight (ix. 17), 
after which He told him that he must now go and tell 
all men what he had seen, and what he had heard (Acts 
xxii. 15) ; that is, to declare to all the world that Jesus 
was the King of glory. 

What could be more convincing than this ? Especially 
when he felt himself filled with the Holy Ghost (ix. 17), 
merely by the laying on of the hands of one of Jesus' 
disciples. He saw that there was nothing truer than 
that Jesus was the Son of God, All his learning could 
not furnish him with an argument to confute or weaken 
this single proof which our Saviour gave him of His 
divinity. Upon this testimony from the Word of God 
Himself, without further demonstration, '' he preached 
Jesus in the synagogue that He is the Son of God " 
(ix. 20). He even " confounded the Jews who dwelt at 
Damascus, affirming that this is the Christ " (Ibid. ix. 



164 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

22). So powerfully did he convince them that they had 
no answer wherewith to encounter his arguments, but 
only the sword ; and therefore consulted to kill him ; 
who, as long as he lived, they saw would be the great- 
est witness unto Jesus Christ. Read His epistles, par- 
ticularly Philip iii. 8; i Cor. iv. 9, 10, etc.; 2 Cor. vi. 
45, etc., xi. 23, and you will be satisfied that after he 
had become a preacher of the Gospel nothing but 
misery, trouble, infamy, and reproach attended him 
everywhere, and never left him till they had brought 
him to a shameful death. But this great man became so 
strong in the Lord Jesus, and in the power of His might, 
after He had from heaven appeared and spoken to 
him, that nothing could daunt him, so nothing could 
hinder the success of his labors. He became the most 
eminent servant of the Lord Jesus, and prevailed so 
mightily against all the opposition which the devil or 
men raised to frustrate his endeavors that he gives 
" thanks to God, who always caused him to triumph in 
Christ Jesus, and made manifest the odor of His knowl- 
edge by him in every place" (2 Cor. ii. 14). All his 
travels and long journeys proved in the issue as if they 
had been but the carrying of him about in a triumphant 
chariot to make him a glorious spectacle, where in spite 
of all that the most powerful cruelty and rage could do, 
he was still victorious, and brought divers souls into the 
fold of his Master, Jesus Christ. 

The Word was pleased last of all, but more frequent- 
ly than to any other, to show Himself after He went 
to heaven, to His beloved disciple, St. John ; who had 
already borne testimony of the Word of God, and of the 
testimony of Jesus, and of all the things he saw; had 
declared in his Gospel Jesus to be the Son of God. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 65 

There could not be a more fit person than he, who per- 
haps also was the only apostle remaining in the world, 
to hold communication with this Word of God, and re- 
ceive new revelations from Jesus ; he being at this 
time banished and confined to the '' Island which is 
called Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the testi- 
mony of Jesus " (Rev. i. 9). In this lonesome place, sep- 
arated from the rest of the earth, our Lord opened 
heaven to him, and showed him the glory which He had 
there. " He was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and 
heard a great voice saying : What thou seest, write in a 
book, and send to the seven churches which are in Asia " 
(verse 1 1). Whereupon he turned about to see whence 
the voice came, and he beheld in the midst of the seven 
golden candlesticks one like to the Son of Man, appear- 
ing in the most royal majesty and power. He did not 
ask Him, as St. Paul, who He was ; for he had been 
long acquainted heretofore with that countenance, and 
knew Him perfectly well to be our blessed Saviour. 
'^ He saw Him clothed with a garment down to the 
feet," .... as St. Irenasus truly expresses it : Sacerdotem 
et gloriosunt regni ejus adventu?n, in His priestly and glori- 
ous kingdom. So glorious was the sight that St. John 
himself was not able to bear it, but, when he saw Him, 
fell at His feet as dead (verse 17), till the Word, on 
whose breast he had reposed, revived and comforted 
him, saying : '' Fear not. I am the first and the last ; 
and alive, and was dead ; and behold, I am living for- 
ever and ever, and have the keys of death and of hell." 
There is not one of his letters to those churches but 
begins with some description of our Saviour's sovereign 
majesty, and asserts His title to the name of the Son 
of God. St. John saw Him in a second vision (Apoc. 



l66 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

V. 6), in the midst of the throne of God, opening the 
book sealed zvith seven seals ^ which none could open or 
read, or so much as look into, save this Lamb of God 
who had been slain. The heavenly host made their ac- 
clamations to Him as worthy of the most supreme power 
and dignity. The Lamb that was slain is worthy to re- 
ceive ''power, divinity, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, 
and benediction" (Apoc. v. 12). ''For in Him dwelleth 
all the fulness of the Godhead corporally" (St. Paul, 
Coloss. ii. 9). 

St. John saw our blessed Saviour in such a glorious 
majesty and mighty power, that the clouds were made 
His chariot, in which He sat as a Lord (read Apoc. 
xiv. 14). And there is another vision, which is all I 
need mention, where he saw Him again, coming out of 
heaven, with the royal ensigns of His victorious power 
over those who had opposed His authority (Ibid. xix. 
11,12). 

The event has proved it was no delusion when he 
heard those great voices in heaven say : "The kingdom 
of this world is become our Lord's and His Christ's, 
and He shall reign forever and ever," which was accom- 
plished also with very great speed, as he saw represent- 
ed by an '' angel " which appeared, "flying in the midst 
of heaven, having the eternal Gospel to preach unto 
them that dwell on the earth" (Ibid, xi., xiv.). 

If the question should be whether a person be alive ; 
his own appearing in court would be the best testimony 
that could be given of it. If whether such a one be a 
king ; his sitting upon his throne, with his crown on his 
head, in his royal palace, and his ministers round about 
him, would be the surest evidence that could be desired 
to put it out of doubt. In this case, therefore, the ques- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 6/ 

tion is whether Jesus Christ be the Son of God, or not ; 
there cannot be expected a better resolution of it than 
His own witness to Himself, by appearing upon the 
throne of His glory. There several persons of unblem- 
ished credit beheld Him, and had the confidence to ven- 
ture their lives upon the certain knowledge they had 
that they were not deceived. From thence He spoke 
to them, and directed them to speak and carry His mes- 
sages to others, that they might believe in the name of 
the Son of God. And let it be remembered that we are 
now examining those witnesses which speak from heav- 
en, and not those which speak on the earth ; and then 
you will soon discern that these testimonies of the 
Word, though concerning Himself, ought to be received 
with great reverence, and to be judged very powerful to 
prove Jesus to be the Son of God. Especially since, 
besides His own word for it, we have also the word of 
the Fathei", who several times called Him His Son, and 
that before He took this honor to Himself. 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY GHOST. 

Let us now hear the testimony of the Holy Ghost, 
who agrees perfectly in the same thing, and declares 
that Jesits is the Son of God. Witness that glorious 
appearance of the Divine Spirit upon Him when He 
was baptized ; for here we may note three things as we 
did in the opening of the testimony of the other two 
witnesses. The first is when the Spirit of God de- 
scended upon Him, immediately after His baptism, and 
remained on Him (John i. 32, 33), then the Holy Ghost 
bore witness of Him that He was the Son of God. 



l68 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

That there was such a glorious majesty appeared and 
lighted on Him, ought not to seem incredible to any 
man that believes the Holy books of the Old Testa- 
ment ; as Origen shows (Lib. i) against Celsus, who 
foolishly brings in a Jew speaking against this appari- 
tion. The testimony of Ezekiel, who says he saw the 
heavens were opened .... and Isaias writes that he 
saw the Lord, .... or John, who says the heavens 
were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God de- 
scending like a dove and remaining upon Him. This 
is enough to stop the mouth of any Jew, especially 
since the power of Jesus Christ (as Origen proceeds) 
not only then when He was on earth far excelled 
theirs; but still remains now that He is in heaven, for 
the conversion of those who by Him believe in God. 

*' The Father loveth the Son, and He hath given 
all things into His hand " (John iii. 35). " It hath well 
pleased the Father, that in Him all fulness should 
dwell " (Coloss. i. 19). 

What greater argument could there be, that He was 
the Son, than this that He had a// things now put into 
His hands, to do what He pleased on earth ; and re- 
ceived the Holy Ghost in such a visible majesty, as a 
pledge that He should shortly have all power in heaven 
too, at the right hand of God ? 

It is very remarkable that though there had been 
formerly an appearance of the divine presence, that is 
the glory of God, when the gifts of the Holy Ghost 
were imparted to some persons ; yet, we never read 
that this divine presence came down upon any man, 
much less that it remained on him, but upon Jesus 
only. This demonstrated Him to be not merely a 
great prophet, but the Son of God. Never was there 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 169 

such a crown prepared for any man's head but His. 
Never before did the hand of Heaven put such a dia- 
dem of glory upon any person as this which encircled 
our Saviour. This can be accounted nothing less than 
the testimony of the Holy Ghost to Him ; that He was 
the Holy One of God, the anointed from above, the 
King of God's people, and Heir of all things. 

Thus St. Peter expresses the honor now done Him, 
when he tells Cornelius and his company that God 
anointed Him with the Holy Ghost, and with power 
(Acts X. 38). He was now invested with a royal power 
(for that's the meaning of His being anointed), and we 
ought to look upon this as a solemn inauguration of 
Him in His Kingdom. When our Lord was examined 
by Pilate upon this very point. He Himself affirms in 
express words, that He had a kingdom, though not of 
this w^orld, but heavenly (John xviii. 36). The gover- 
nor asked Him again, ^^ Art Thou a King then ? " (verse 
37) ; i. e., Yes, I am ; it is as thou sayest, — so the rest 
of the Evangelists report His answer. " Thon sayest it " 
(Matt, xxvii. 1 1 ; Mark xv. 2 ; Luke xxiii. 3) ; which is 
as much in their language, as to say it is so ; thou hast 
said right / am a King. 

This testimony which the Holy Ghost gave to Jesus 
Christ when He anointed Him at His baptism, was so 
remarkable that Mahomet has not forgotten to leave a 
remembrance of it in his Alcoran. The angel Gabriel 
brought the news to our Saviour's Mother, but he did 
not pretend that she should conceive by his power ; no 
he says expressly, '* The Holy Ghost shall come upon 
thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshad- 
ow thee " (Luke i. 35). 

The Tabernacle, the place where the divine glory 
8 



170 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

made its residence, was called the Most Holy, and was 
built by particular directions which God Himself gave, 
and by a divine art wherewith the workmen were in- 
spired, and no other. Thus was the Temple of our 
Saviour's Body, likewise, set apart and separated from 
all common flesh to be the dwelling-place of God. 
Man had no hand in the making of it ; but it was formed 
in the womb of a pure Virgin by the power of the Holy 
Ghost. Upon which reason the angel calls Him be- 
fore He was conceived to ^Ayiov (Luke i. 35), the Holy 
One. Nor did the good angels only acknowledge this, 
but the evil also call Him the Holy One of God (Mark 
i. 24). What should we do then but after such evident 
proofs that God is in Him, fall down, and with the 
most humble and joyful reverence worship Him, who 
is the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace 
and truth (John i. 14) ? 

The second testimony of the Holy Ghost was upon 
the day of Pentecost, when He gave a more public 
testimony to Hirn, than at His baptism, that He was 
the Son of God. For His apostles being then assem- 
bled together in one place, on a sudden there came 
such a mighty inspiration from Him, who a little be- 
fore had breathed on them and said. Receive ye the 
Holy Ghost ; that the sound of it was like that of a 
violent blast of wind, which was anciently a token 
of a divine presence approaching (Gen. iii. 8), and 
now was a sign that they should carry all before 
them. It was the Spirit of God that came down upon 
our Saviour at His baptism, and ever after dwelt in 
Him ; who now sent the apostles just as the Father 
had sent Him. For a bright flame was seen upon 
their heads, and they were baptized with the Holy 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I/I 

Ghost and with fire. So St. Luke reports that '' there 
appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, 
and it sat upon every one of them, and they were all 
filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak 
with divers tongues according as the Holy Ghost gave 
them to speak " (Acts ii. 3, 4). All Jerusalem, Par- 
thians and Medes, inhabitants of Asia Minor and Meso- 
potamia, Jews from Egypt and Rome, from Libya, 
Crete, and Arabia, were witnesses and were amazed to 
hear the apostles speak in their own tongues, the won- 
derful works of God (verse 11). 

The Holy Ghost was the fulfilment of what Christ 
had predicted and promised a little before His going 
away from them. At the very mention of that word, 
they were very disconsolate, and sorrow filled their 
hearts, whereupon He cheers them up with this assur- 
ance, that He would not leave them like so many father- 
less children, but would ask the Father and He would 
give them another Paraclete, who would abide with 
them forever (John xiv. 16). This, He tells them, was 
the Spirit of Truth (verse 17) whom the Father would 
send in His name (verse 26). Nothing was more evi- 
dent to them than this great truth ; whatsoever dis- 
trust they might have before, with this mighty inspira- 
tion all their doubts were blown away, like the dust be- 
fore the wind. 

This fire which appeared on their heads purged their 
souls from all the relics of infidelity, if there were any 
remaining. They could do nothing now but speak the 
praises of the Saviour and proclaim Him with these 
tongues to all the world to be the Lord. 

The Holy Ghost vindicated His rights, which the 
Jews would have taken from Him ; and that not He 



172 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

but they were the guilty persons who had condemned 
Him for saying He was the Son of God. This was the 
very end of the coming of the Divine Spirit, and our 
Saviour also told His apostles a little before His death 
(John xiv. 7, 8, 9), where He says that if He went away 
He would send the Paraclete — that is, His Advocate — 
unto them, whose office should be, to convifice the world 
of sin, of justice, mid of judgment. 

The Paraclete came to plead the cause of our Saviour; 
to maintain His innocence ; and to prove against all ac- 
cusers, that though He v/as condemned by men, yet He 
was acquitted by God and had said nothing but the 
truth. The great thing they laid to His charge, as you 
read in Matt. xxvi. 63, 64, was that He affirmed, 
when they adjured Him by the living God, He was the 
Christ, the Son of God. This was the blasphemy which 
they pretended wounded their hearts with grief when 
they heard it, and for which they adjudged Him worthy 
of death. Now what could demonstrate the vileness of 
this calumny, and prove Him not guilty more than 
such a power possessing His followers even after He 
was dead, as they saw in Himself when He was alive? 
Nay, a far greater which declared, as they truly said, that 
*' He was Lord of all " (Acts x. 36). He could not have 
done such things as they beheld were wrought at the 
invoking of His Name if He were not truly the Son of 
God. 

This heavenly witness never failed to appear, when 
there was need of Him to justify our Saviour and recti- 
fy the opinion of the world, by reversing the false judg- 
ment of the Jews. The tables were turned by the ap- 
pearance of this Paraclete, who pleaded so strongly and 
convincingly, that many who had before accounted Him 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 73 

an evil-doer now confessed Him to be a just person. 
They who had reviled, now gave Him worship and hon- 
or. They that crucified Him, said as the Centurion, 
when they heard the Holy Ghost speak on His behalf: 
" Indeed this was the Son of God " (Matt, xxvii. 54). 

The Sanhedrim (the supreme court of judicature 
among the Jews) knew not what to say to the apostles, 
they only clapped them in prison for preaching Jesus 
(Acts iv. 3) ; they dare not pass the sentence of death upon 
them, according as the law directed ; the people glori- 
fying God for what they saw them do by the power of 
the Holy Ghost. Nay, so much were some of this 
great council staggered that according to the persuasion 
of Gamaliel, a great master among them, they let the 
apostles go free after a second imprisonment, lest ''per- 
haps they should be found fighters against God " (Acts 
v.- 39). If this be a human project, says that wise man, 
do not trouble yourselves about it ; for it will come to 
naught, as the vain attempts of others have done who 
at first drew people after them. But if these men prove 
to be authorized by God and He will have it so, who can 
overthrow it ? We had best take heed how we proceed 
in a business wherein we may chance to have God against 
us. It is better, in my judgment, to be quiet, and see 
what the issue will be, lest instead of contending with 
men, we be found to oppose God Almighty Himself. 

And the issue was this, that by the power of the 
Holy Ghost our Lord Jesus obtained a kingdom, and 
men were persuaded to submit unto Him, though He 
was invisible, and not likely to reward their services in 
this world at all, but only in another. The same power 
proclaimed Him throughout the world to be the Lord 
of life and glory — and by the mere preaching of the 



174 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Gospel, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, 
as St. Peter speaks (i Pet. i. 12), the nations were sub- 
dued to Him and acknowledged Him for their sovereign. 
The Jewish rulers said, '' Speak not at all, nor teach 
in the name of Jesus" (Acts iv. 18). But Jesus their 
Master had said : " Go ye into the whole world, and 
preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark xvi. 15); 
or as it is in Matt, xxviii. 19: "Going therefore, teach 
ye all nations ; baptizing them in the Name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teach- 
ing them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
manded you." But suppose the disciples should have 
said : though we are to do anything for Thy sake, yet 
how shall we accomplish this ? How, for example, shall 
we speak to the Romans, of whose language we are ig- 
norant? Or, how shall we teach the Egyptians, and 
the Indians, and the Scythians, who have but one 
tongue which we learnt of our mothers, and that but a 
rude one? We shall stand dumb before them and say 
nothing. They will take us for a company of fools. Or 
even if we could speak their tongues, what hope have we 
to prevail with them ? Who will be persuaded by such 
men as we, to forsake the religion of their country and 
to embrace Thine, who art a stranger to them ? Truly, 
that had been but a rational question, if our Saviour 
had not taken care to prevent it, by adding those to 
His mandate : " Behold I am with you all days, even to 
the consummation." He had said a little before : All 
power is given to me in heaven and in earth (verse 18), 
go therefore teach all nations ; advance my authority, 
and spread my kingdom, and do not doubt but you 
shall effect the business; for I who have all power will 
be with you. And so He was, by the power of the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1/5 

Holy Ghost who was His Advocate, for He gave them 
the gifts of tongues. He accompanied them every- 
where, if they did not but mention His Name with 
signs and miracles ; yea, the very shadow of some of 
them did more than all the power of medicines. This 
was a very great demonstration of His supreme domin- 
ion over all creatures. " And they were filled with the 
Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with con- 
fidence" (Acts iv. 31). 

And this leads to the last testimony which the Holy 
Ghost gave by descending upon other persons as well 
as upon the apostles ; though not in such a visible form 
as He did on the day of Pentecost. But whenever they 
laid their hands upon any person who believed in Jesus 
and was baptized, presently the Holy Ghost fell down 
upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophe- 
sied (Acts vii. 15-17; Ibid. xix. 6). This laying on of 
their hands was ever after the only external sign of di- 
vine power (for that is the meaning of stretching out the 
hand) wherewith they should be endowed at the re- 
quest of the apostles (Acts iv. 30). 

When the apostles received the Holy Ghost they 
were made the principal officers of Christ's kingdom, 
and endowed with such a power to remit sins, and un- 
loose men from the punishment of them as He had 
(John XX. 22, 23). All others to whom He imparted this 
gift were openly declared " the sons of God, and if sons, 
heirs also ; heirs, indeed, of God, and joint heirs with 
Christ" (Rom.viii. 16, 17). They were not of small num- 
ber who were partakers of the Holy Ghost. For St. 
Peter promises Him to all that would repent and be 
baptized, at which word three thousand souls were added 
to them (Acts ii. 38-41). 



1/6 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

As St. Peter was preaching to Cornelius and his 
friends, tJie Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the 
zvorci, to the great astonishment of the Jewish Christians, 
who wondered to hear them speak with tongues and 
magnify God (Acts x. 44, 45). Our Lord did not cease 
to pour out more and more of His Spirit on all flesh 
even after the apostles were dead. But as St. Justin 
tells us, the Jews (in his time) '' One might have seen 
among Christians, both women and men, who had gifts 
from the Spirit of God." And so in the days of Origen, 
who to convince Celsus that it was no fable which was 
reported of the descent of the Holy Ghost on our Sav- 
iour, affirms that " there were still remaining among 
them some footsteps of that Holy Spirit which was 
seen in the form of a dove. For they dispossessed 
devils, performed many cures, foresaw some things ac- 
cording to the will and pleasure of the Word concQYnmg 
what was to come " (Lib. Contr. Celsum.) And the same 
Justin says in his first apology that there were many 
healed by the name of Jesus Christ in the city of Rome, 
whom no other person could heal. I shall say no more 
concerning these witnesses from heaven ; they are one, 
you see, in their testimony as well as in their nature ; 
they all agree in this, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 
If Jesus Christ be not the Son of God, if He do not 
prove it by undeniable arguments, then do as you wish ; 
but if He be, then you are bound to yield Him the 
humble subjection, and it will be a strange stupidity to 
dispute the matter with Him. There can be no color 
for your refusal, should you deny to be governed by 
Him who comes with such authority, that \\\q fidness 
of the Godhead, as you have heard, dwells in Him bodily. 
Now that God has sent salvation to us by One that is 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 77 

mighty to save, He has revealed Himself so graciously, 
and made such discoveries of His love and power and 
glory to all mankind that they may confidently hope 
to be restored to the image and likeness of God again. 



CONCERNING THE TESTIMONY OF THE WATER. 

Having briefly examined the testimony of the first 
three zuitnesses, we shall now go to the other three who 
are nearer to us than the former, and take their evi- 
dence for our further confirmation in this belief that 
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 

After the apostle had said that the only conqueror is 
he who believes Jesus to be the Son of God, he adds : 
This is He that came by Water and Blood, Jesus Christ, 
not by w^ater only, but by blood also ; and it is the 
Spirit which testifieth, etc. Christ our Lord proved by 
these three witnesses that He Himself was the person 
whom God promised should come to redeem the world. 
Let us, therefore, examine diligently their testimony 
that the faith of Jesus Christ may still be rooted deeper 
in our hearts. And let us hear them in that order in 
which they stand in the sixth verse, receiving first the 
testimony of the water ^ then of the blood, and then of 
the Spirit. 

The testimony of water can mean nothing else but 
either purity and innocence, or else baptism. Nor do 
we vary from the scope of the apostle when we say that 
the testimony of water signifies the purity and inno- 
cence of Christ's doctrine and life. 

We use water to purify bodily defilements ; and 
therefore when the prophet would express the inten- 
8* 



178 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

tion of God to purify His people from moral filthi- 
ness He says, " He will pour clean water upon them " 
(Ezech. xxxvi. 25), and in other places He calls upon 
them to wash themselves, when He would have them 
amend their ways and lead new and holy lives. And 
when we speak of the purity of Jesus, wherewith He 
came, we must consider that there is a double sanctity 
or holiness for which He was eminent above all other 
persons. The one is of His doctrine wherewith Christ 
is said to cleanse His Church for which He died (Ephes. 
v. 26) : " He delivered Himself up for it, that He might 
sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the 
word of life." The word (the preaching of the Gospel) 
is either the explanation of the washing with water ^ or 
else denotes that Christian instruction which accompa- 
nies baptism, to which, by our being washed with water in 
the name of Christ, we are bound to attend as the great 
instrument of our purification. The other is the holi- 
ness of life and conversation, which the same word, water, 
is used to express in the Epistle to the Hebrews (x. 22) 
where the apostle exhorts all those who believed there 
was such a royal High-Priest as Jesus set over the fam- 
ily of God, to worship Him with integrity of heart, 
doubting nothing of the truth of His promises, " having 
their hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and their 
bodies washed with clean water." 

Now, by a short view of the perfect spotlessness of 
Jesus in regard of His doctrine and of His life, we 
shall be able from thence strongly to draw this conclu- 
sion, that He must needs be the Son of God. 

The purity of His doctrine is such that it not only 
teaches no evil at all, but teaches all manner of good- 
ness, and severely punishes every vice. Jesus declared 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 79 

the wrath of God from heaven against all ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of men. 

He has first of all so clearly revealed to us the one 
God, Creator of heaven and earth, that none could do 
it more expressly, or with greater reverence to His maj- 
esty : " This is eternal life, to know the only true God 
and Jesus Christ whom He had sent." The Jews might 
have seen that His design was far more noble and more 
glorious than that of Moses, who contented himself to 
preserve that one nation from the infection of idolatry, 
whereas our Lord plainly declared His intention was, 
by His apostles, to turn all nations from idols to serve 
the liviiig and true God. 

There never was any man that appeared so great a 
lover of God as He was. There never was any man 
that made such manifestations of all the divine attri- 
butes and perfections of God to the world before Christ. 
From Him we have learned how just, how good, how 
wise, how faithful, and how powerful God is. He 
teaches us inwardly to honor God (John v. 23), to love 
Him also, and that '^ with all our heart, and all our soul, 
and our mind, and all our strength " (Mark xii. 30) ; and 
to fear Him, seeing that He can cast both body and 
soul into hell (Luke xii. 5) ; to confide likewise, 
and trust in Him, the living God (i Tim. iv. 10); "to 
hope in His mercy" (i Pet. i. 21), and to rejoice always 
(i Thess. V. 16) ; and especially to show the death of the 
Lord, that is, to publish it with thanks and praise, until 
He come (i Cor. xi. 26) to judge the world. He has 
taught us that the Father will be worshipped in spirit 
and in truth (John iv. 23); and when we pray, we must 
forgive others (Mark xi. 25) ; and " ask in prayer, be- 
lieving " (Matt. xxi. 22) ; and avoid vain babbling ; and 



i8d the cross of CHRIST 

not affect much speaking, nor desire to be seen by men ; 
and to join alms with our prayers and devotions to God 
(Matt. vl.). It is Impossible to conceive anything more 
divine than these Instructions. 

No wit of man can think of anything more holy than 
the perfect rule which comprehends the measures of 
charity : Love thy neighbor as thyself ; or that whatso- 
ever ye zvould that men sJiould do to you, do ye even so to 
them. This is a rule that reaches all men ; and com- 
pendiously, yet completely, tells them how they should 
behave themselves toward each other. He teaches to 
be meek and gentle toward all men ; to put av/ay all 
bitterness and anger, and clamor and evil speaking ; not 
to circumvent our brother in any matter ; nor to lie to 
our neighbor ; to forgive their faults ; to do good for 
evil ; to bless those that curse us. 

He has told us, by His apostles, with what kindness 
and indulgent affection husbands should treat their 
wives, and how, again, they should so affectionately ob- 
serve their husbands that they may together make up a 
lively image of that dearest love which is between Christ 
and His Church. And He has Instructed all how to be- 
have ourselves toward magistrates, bishops, priests, 
masters, and parents, whom He has also taught how to 
bring up their children ; to use their servants, to feed 
and govern their flocks, and to rule their people com- 
mitted to their charge; so that no man can say he goes 
without that lesson which is proper for his condition. 
His doctrine Is so holy and pure that it requires the 
greatest moderation in all things. It favors nothing 
that relishes covetousness, .or ambition, or voluptuous- 
ness, or any other violent or Inordinate passion what- 
ever; but, on the contrary, commands us not to labor 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. l8l 

with too much eagerness and solicitude for the meat 
that perishes ; to lay up our treasures in heaven ; to be 
humble and lowly, like little children ; to be temperate 
in all things ; to be watchful and vigilant ; to be chaste 
and pure in heart — in a word, to cut off our right hand 
and pluck out our right eye, if it prove an offence to us. 

After all these incomparable lessons, He teaches us 
to suffer for well-doing ; to bear all worldly troubles val- 
iantly, and with a magnanimous heart ; nay, to rejoice 
when our names are cast out as evil for His name's sake ; to 
persevere and suffer long patience ; to stand fast in faith ; 
to quit ourselves like men, and to be strong in the Lord, 
and in the power of His might. He urges us by the purest, 
the most spiritual, the noblest, and the most divine 
arguments. 

He does not promise us riches or greatness, or fame 
and glory, either while we live, or when we are dead ; 
but propounds His ow^i example to us, and the example 
of all the saints who are gone before us ; and quickens us 
with the hope of immortality when we depart this life ; 
assures us the protection of angels, and the joys of the 
Holy Ghost. And if any man say, that several philoso- 
phers taught excellent things, and gave rules of a virtuous 
life, the answer is that none of them delivered such a com- 
plete rule of holy living as our Lord has done ; none of 
them touched the heart with such powerful reasons and 
divine motives ; nor did any of them write without some 
mixture of folly, or themselves exactly perform that 
which they taught others. The purity of His life out- 
stripped all others. He not only preached after the man- 
ner I have now related, but so He lived, and became a 
complete pattern of that which He taught. He was a liv- 
ing Law, as Lactantius calls Him (Liber 4, Instit. c. 25), 



1 82 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

His greatest enemies could lay nothing to His charge, 
but only certain words, and these such as contained 
most perfect truth, as He proved by His actions. He 
was the Lamb of God, ivitJwut spot, and without blemish 
(i Pet. i. 19). His whole life was such a fair example of 
that piety, humility, charity, gentleness, forgiveness, 
peaceableness, patience, and all other virtues which He 
taught, that God restored Him to life again after they 
had crucified Him and put Him to death, because there 
was no fault in Him. And as for His fortitude, cour- 
age, constancy, and resignation, there never was any- 
thing comparable to them. For He endured the cross, 
and despised the shame, and contentedly took the con- 
tradiction of sinners, saying: Fathe?', not my will, but 
Thy will be done. 

When the Pharisees made void the law^of God ; when 
virtue was despised ; when faith and judgment, and the 
love of God were hated ; when there was nothing but 
the very dregs of Abraham's piety remaining among his 
children ; then Jesus testified to them that their deeds 
were evil ; then this light shone in that darkness, and 
this Son of God entered upon a more than herculean 
labor of cleansing the Temple and people. Nobody 
could accuse Him for the breach of any commandment 
that had a divine stamp upon it. When they quarrelled 
with Him for healing on the Sabbath-day, He soon 
stopped their mouths by showing them that they them- 
selves would not deny such charity to an ox, or an ass, 
upon that day, if it were in danger of perishing, or stood 
in need to be led away to watering. 

To do the will of God was the end for which He 
came into the world, as He told Pilate, that He might 
bear witness to t' e truth, and therefore it was His 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 83 

meat, His delight to do the will of Him that sent Him, 
and to finish His work. 

His holy doctrine and life was an argument of Hisv 
divinity because this was part of His doctrine, that He 
was the Son of God. This is certain, He affirms Him- 
self to be the Christ, the Son of God, first to His dis- 
ciples, and that both before His sufferings (Matt. xiv. 
16, 17) and also after His resurrection (Luke xxiv. 46), 
and then to others also who were as yet none of them, 
as (i) to the woman of Samaria (John iv. 26) ; then 
(2) to the blind man whose eyes He opened (John ix. 35- 
37) ; and lastly. He asserted it when He was brought be- 
fore His judges who adjured Him by the true God to tell 
them the veiy truth, and nothing but the truth. He 
solemnly and frequently before God and before men, in 
His lifetime and after His death, professed that He was 
the Son of God. 

If any man still object, that although Christ could 
not affirm what He did not believe, but yet He might 
be mistaken and believe that which was not true : He 
may answer Himself from His own concessions ; how 
free our Saviour was from all ambitious desire; how 
modestly He refused to be advanced ; how void He was 
of all worldly appetites which may blind man's reason 
and abuse his understanding; how admirably He dis- 
courses, how rational and convincingly ; how sublime 
and heavenly all His sermons are ; He will soon be sat- 
isfied that it is not credible that a person of His wis- 
dom should be ruled by mere fancy, or be carried into a 
vain dream by any sensual affections which had no place 
in Him. 

This is the first acceptation of the word water, which 
clears our Lord from all imputation of fraud, and 



1 84 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

washes off all aspersions that might be cast upon Him 
of imposture. For there is not the least spot of blem- 
ish in the whole course of His life to render Him sus- 
pected of any guile, much less of so great a deceit as to 
feign Himself the Son of God. Nay, His doctrine is 
so divine, so much beyond the strain of the wisest men 
that ever spoke, that it demonstrates He was as little 
obnoxious to be deluded Himself, as He was inclined 
and disposed to delude others. 

Let us now proceed to see what testimony may be 
drawn from this water in behalf of our Lord, if we take 
it in the other sense, for baptism, in which we make a 
profession of purity. And there is a twofold baptism 
in which our Lord is said to come: The first is the bap- 
tism of John ; the second is His own baptism. 

When St. John baptized men with water, he preached 
that He (the Messias) was coming (Matt. iii. ii and 
John i. 30), and that He sent this baptism a little before 
Him, as a testimony which would prepare His way, and 
dispose their hearts to receive Him as the Christ of 
God. For it is manifest that it was intended as a proof 
of this, from those words of our Saviour Himself by 
which He stopped the mouths of the Pharisees, and 
took away all matter of cavil from them when He as- 
serted both His supreme authority over them and over 
their temple (Matt. xxi. 23-26). Having come in triumph 
to Jerusalem (ver. 8, 9), and there received Hosannas 
from old and young, and been saluted as the Son of 
David ; that Is, their king (whom the prophet said 
should come unto them — verse 5) ; and having cast 
the buyers and sellers out of the temple (verse 12) and 
being now teaching the people there, the chief priests 
and elders came to Him, and examined Him, by zvhat 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 85 

authority He did these things, and zvJio gave Him this 
authority. 

Answer me but this question, says He, and I will tell 
you by what authority I do these things : Whence was 
John's baptism? from heaven or from men? That is, 
who gave him his power to preach, to reprove, to call 
men to repentance ? Did God bid him go ? or was it 
from a motion of his own ? If they had affirmed that 
John entered upon the office of baptizing and preach- 
ing by the commission of men : in this opinion they 
knew they should be alone, because all the people held 
him to be a prophet. That is, it was the sense of the 
whole nation (as appears by Josephus) that the Baptist 
was a divine man inspired by God, and sent by Him to 
do what he did, which would have made them the pub- 
lic scorn and hatred of all the country if they should 
have denied it. But if they should grant this and say 
He was sent by God, they saw themselves in a worse 
case, being as much afraid of what Jesus would say if 
this w^ere confessed, as they were of what the people 
would say if it were contradicted. For as the people 
would have cried shame on them if they had disparaged 
John's ministry, so if they allowed it to be from heaven 
then they knew Jesus w^ould incontestably prove His 
commission to be from heaven too ; and tell them that 
John, whom they took' for a divine man, should acquaint 
them with His authority and from whom He had it ; 
for He bore witness in express words He was the Christ, 
the Son of God. They thought it a safer course, thei*e- 
fore, to leave this question undetermined, and say they 
could not tell whence his baptism was. But by saying 
nothing they plainly confessed that if they had gone 
on to dispute with Him, He would have had the better 



1 86 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

of them. My authority, which you call in question, is 
very evident. I have it from heaven, and not from 
men, as I prove by this argument. If the baptism of 
John be from heaven, then from thence I come now you 
cannot deny it, if you will speak out, that this baptism 
is from thence ; and therefore I make the conclusion 
that my authority is divine. If John was sent by God, 
then so was Jesus in that quality wherein He appeared, 
because John gave testimony to Him which could not 
be questioned after they had granted him to be a prophet 
(Mark xi. 32) ; nay, he was not a common prophet, but 
one of extraordinary rank : the prophet of the Highest, 
his father calls him, and more than a prophet, in the 
language of our Saviour. John the Baptist, whose 
heavenly authority they dare not deny, told them the 
very end of his preaching and baptizing was to prepare 
the way of the Lord, and that they must receive Him as 
the Son of God, and the Lamb of God that taketh away 
the sins of the world (John i. 29-34). 

Let the place be noted where Jesus came to be bap- 
tized by John, for it will help to settle this belief in us, 
that Jesus is the Son of God. It was in Bethany be- 
yond the Jordan, as John has recorded (John i. 28). 
'' Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan unto John to 
be baptized by him" (Matt. iii. 13). The children of 
Israel went over this river Jordan when they entered 
the Land of Canaan. This was the place of their pass- 
age when God brought them out of the wilderness to 
their desired possession ; and so had the name Bethania 
affixed to it, in memory of so great a blessing. 

Now Jesus was baptized at the very place where 
Josue or Jesus (as He is called, Heb. iv. 8) conducted 
the children of Israel over that river into their rest. It 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 18/ 

was a notable sign that this person called Jesus also was 
He that should lead them into the heavenly rest, and 
be the Captain of their salvation. And the Holy Ghost 
descended also in this very place upon Him; here He 
was anointed to be the guide, and leader , and conductor 
of God's people, that is, a Prince and Saviour (Acts v. 
31), who should put them in possession of the greatest 
blessings. As Moses laid his hands upon Josue near this 
place, and made him the ruler and governor of that na- 
tion (Deut. xxxiv. 9), so here did God Himself give all 
things into the hands of Jesus by the Holy Ghost com- 
ing down upon His Head, appointing, constituting, and 
ordaining Him to be the Royal Prophet who should 
bring all the world to His obedience ; to be the true 
Josue whom they must all follow ; the Messias, the 
King of Israel, to whose conduct they must trust, if 
they meant to enter into rest. Jesus also is said to 
baptize (John iii. 26, and iv. i). Now this was an argu- 
ment to the Jews that He was the Messias. 

First, because all expected that the Messias or 
Christ should come with baptism, and, therefore, re- 
new the world, as the Hebrew doctors sometimes speak. 
It began in the time of Moses, when he brought them 
to receive the Law from God (Exod. xix. 10-14). And 
therefore when Christ came, and with Him a new world 
(for there is nothing more common in their books than 
to call His days the zvorld to come), they concluded He 
should begin it with baptism as Moses did that frame 
of things which he erected. 

This is certain, that in His days there should be an 
universal baptism and cleansing of the people, which 
they gather from Zech. xiii. i ; Isaias, and from Ezek. 
xxxvi. 25, where he says, '' I will pour upon you clean 



1 88 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

water," etc., " and I will give you a new heart," which 
is applied by the apostles to the days of Christ, who be- 
gan His new kingdom with washing zvith water, or bap- 
tism in His Name. 

And there is another argument to prove that the 
priesfs and Levites looked upon baptism as a mark of 
the Messias ; for as soon as our Saviour began to au- 
thorize His disciples to baptize, then they were more 
in suspense than ever ; and they knew not what to im- 
agine, when they saw two great men doing one and 
the same thing, and thereby drawing the people after 
them. 

We read In St. John HI. 25, that there arose a contro- 
versy between some of John's disciples and some Jews 
who were not his disciples, concerning Purification. 
And the dispute was this: whether their Master, John's 
baptism, or that of Jesus was the best, and which of them 
a Jew should receive? For they saw them both bap- 
tize. If John's baptism was from Heaven, why should 
it be laid aside, or why should another come and take 
his work out of his hand? To this John answers In 
verse 27, " A man cannot receive anything unless it 
be given him from heaven." That Is, let not this trouble 
you, that Jesus baptizes, and all come to Him ; It is no 
more than I told you, that I was nobody in comparison 
to Him. For no man can honestly assume more au- 
thority to himself than his commission gives him. And 
he adds that it is strange that they should forget what 
He had told them In express words (verse 28): "You 
yourselves do bear me witness that I said, I am not 
Christ ; but that I am sent before Him." I never gave 
you any occasion to fancy me to be as great as He ; but 
I told you plainly, as you yourselves may remember, 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 89 

that I was not your king anointed by God to rule over 
you ; all the honor that I had being no more than this, 
to be ordered to come and prepare His way for Him. 
I never intended that my washing you with water or 
gathering disciples should be a mark that I was the 
Christ. I only baptized with the water of repentance, 
that you might be disposed to believe in Him, who I 
told you was coming. Go and be baptized by Him, for 
He brings a nobler baptism than that of mine, being as 
much above me as the bridegroom at the wedding is 
above him who only waits upon him, and prepares things 
belonging to the marriage. 

Question no more, therefore, to whom you should go 
for purification of your sins, nor think it strange that 
He baptizes more than I. For '' He must increase, but 
I must decrease " (verse 30). For there is as much dif- 
ference between our doctrines as there is between heav- 
en and earth (verse 3 1). For as he concludes, everlasting 
life is the portion of him who believes in Jesus Christ ; 
" but if a man believes not, he shall never see life^ but th^ 
wrath of God abideth on him'' (verse 36). 

It is as certainly true that God will take us to be His 
sons and daughters, that He will dwell in us and give 
us everlasting life, as it is that Jesus is the Son of God. 
He that says the one, says the other too ; and He may 
be alike believed in both. 

" Having, therefore, these promises, let us cleanse 
ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, 
perfecting sanctification in the fear of God " (2 Cor. vii. 
i). And this was the end for which the Son of God 
" delivered Himself up that He might sanctify and 
cleanse His Church by the laver of water in the Word 
of Life" (Ephes. v. 25, 26). Which, if we study sin- 



IQO THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

cerely, then this water here spoken of, is part of the 
zvaters of life ; and this testimony gives us assurance 
that we shall have our share in those eternal good 
things which He has promised in His Holy Gospel : 
For He is the Truth, and in Him there is no lie. 



CONCERNING THE TESTIMONY OF THE BLOOD. 

The evidence of this next witness — that is, the Blood 
— is as strong as the former. By this word everybody 
understands the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ 
when His Blood was shed upon the cross, in a most ig- 
nominious manner. From the very day when the Phari- 
sees saw Him baptize so many disciples, their rankest 
hatred and malice never ceased till they had baptized 
Him with His own Blood (Luke xii. 50). 

Christ Himself, in His discourse before Pontius Pilate 
just before His crucifixion, and when He stood before 
him condemned by the Jews for saying He was the Son 
of God, expressly affirms that " for this He was born, 
and for this He came into the world, that He should 
give testimony to the truth" (John xviii. 37); particu- 
larly this truth, that He was indeed a King, the very 
Son of God. God the Father had appointed Him to 
seal this with His Blood, and to attest it in the most 
solemn manner before the world, that He was the 
Christ. 

Many causes of death were industriously sought for, 
and sundry false witnesses boldly rose up against Him, 
and yet none of their testimonies was equal to the 
charge that was brought against Him. There was no- 
thing of sufficient weight to justify a sentence of death, 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I9I 

which they were desirous to pronounce upon Him, and 
therefore they despaired of attaining their end, unless 
they could have such words out of His own mouth as 
would prove Him a blasphemer, for which they might 
justly condemn Him. *' Which of you," says Christ, 
*' shall convince me of sin ? " (John viii. 46). They must 
either prove Him a sinner, or themselves, for apprehend- 
ing Him without a cause; they were unable, by their 
false witnesses, to fasten any crime upon Him which 
would touch His life. All they could find to warrant a 
sentence so heavy was nothing but what they got out 
of His own mouth ; by adjuring Him, in the name of 
God, to tell them whether He were the Christ. 

His affirming this was the only truth they told Pilate 
when they brought Him into his court — that He made 
Himself Christ, the King (Luke xxiii. 2 ; John xix. 7). 
This was the inscription over His head, the title upon 
the cross : This is the King of the Jeivs. This was the 
thing they scoffed at, and taught the soldiers to mock 
Him after He was condemned by Pilate (Mark xv. 18), 
and which the Chief Priests, with the Scribes and An- 
cients, made the subject of their jeers as He hung upon 
the cross (Matt, xxvii. 40, 41, 42, 43). Read all these 
places, and you will see that, the asserting of this being 
the cause of His sufferings and shame, St. John had 
reason to allege His Blood as a great evidence or wit- 
ness to this truth. 

Now, for the confirmation of this testimony, let the 
following things be distinctly considered : 

First. That blood is the life of every living creature, 
and therefore the pouring out of this is the losing of 
one's life. Common observation teaches us that it is 
the vehicle or chariot wherein the spirits ride their cir- 



192 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

cuit round the body ; and that if it lose its way, and run 
out of the body, all motion ceases, the spirits flying 
away together with it. 

Second. That nothing is so sweet as life, and that, of 
all other things, we naturally abhor death. " All that 
a man hath he will give for his life " (Job ii. 4). 

Third. Life, therefore, being so desirable, and death 
so dismal and frightful, no reasonable man will be per- 
suaded to part with the one, and run headlong into the 
other. Is life such a trifle, is it so contemptible, that a 
serious man, and one that need not be miserable, will 
studiously lose it only to be talked of? 

Fourth. Much less would any man, that is not beside 
himself, die for a lie. If any man should be tempted to 
tell a lie, yet what should tempt him to endure the rack 
— yea, to suffer death — for it when he shall gain nothing 
by it, and he might live far more honorable by telling 
the truth ? We all love life, and when a man will give 
all that he hath for it (as the tempter himself said), it 
.were very strange if he should not part with a vain lie 
that he might enjoy it. And therefore the apostle here 
bids us consider this, that Jesus came not by zvater only, 
but by water and blood. That is. He did not only preach 
this, and by His holy life justify His integrity in what 
He said, but He died to attest this, and make it good. 

Fifth. If He would but have denied this one thing, 
and said that He was not the Son of God, all their mal- 
ice, as I said, would not have found a crime great enough 
to warrant the taking away of His life according to their 
law. 

Sixth. After tJie assembly of the wicked had inclosed 
Hint, as the Psalmist speaks, had He not power to break 
through them, and make His escape? Yes, most as- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 93 

suredly ; for what else is the meaning of these words, 
that the band of men which came to apprehend Him 
went backzvard diwd fell to the ground (John xviii. 6), when 
He said to them that He was the Man whom they sought 
for? Had not He power as well to depart as to weaken 
their hands that they could not approach Him? Nay, 
w^as it not far easier to go away Himself than to make 
them lie prostrate there? No doubt of it; only He 
would stand to it, and make it good by His Blood that 
He was the Son of God. His death was a voluntary 
sacrifice ; He laid down His life of His ov/n accord, and 
no man took it from Him (John x. 18). 

Seventh. His death was' an advised thing, and His 
Blood deliberately shed, to obtain the greater belief to 
Him ; because He professed, again and again (though 
He knew He must die for it), that He was Christ, their 
King. 

Eighth. He again sets His seal to this truth, calling 
God His Father twice, as He hung upon the cross : 
First, when He prayed for His enemies, Father, forgive 
them (Luke xxiii. 34), and then when He prayed for 
Himself, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit 
(verse 46) ; with these words He resigned up His soul 
to God. 

His death plainly proved that He believed Himself 
to be the Son of God, and His resurrection makes us 
certain that He was not deceived. These two, there- 
fore, must be joined together to make up a complete 
evidence ; and so they are, for the witness of the Spirit 
contains the resurrection in it. 

Ninth. The principal thing which His Blood testified 
was that He did not invent His doctrine Himself. It 
proved, likewise, that His doctrine was true, and ought 
9 



194 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

to be believed by us. When He was but a child, He 
amazed the principal men of the nation with His ques- 
tions and answers. And afterward, in the whole course 
of His preaching, there appeared nothing but what de- 
clared a most prudent, sober, and excellently-composed 
mind ; nothing of inequality and unevenness of His 
temper ; no rapturous discourses, or ecstatical expres- 
sions ; nothing of melancholy, or of pride and vanity, but 
the greatest gravity and seriousness, mixed with admi- 
rable sweetness and humility, is the plain character of 
our Saviour. Look over all His doctrine, and where 
shall we find any that ever spoke so clearly, and with 
so much majesty, of righteousness, temperance, charity, 
and piety, of all our duties toward God and man, as He 
did? He had the gift of comprehending much in a few 
words; of illustrating His doctrine with apt and famil- 
iar resemblances ; of confirming it with powerful argu- 
ments ; and of confuting all cavils of His adversaries 
with the strongest reasons. 

The whole synagogue wondered at the gracious words 
that proceeded out of His mouth. They inquired one 
of another, how a man could come by all that wisdom 
who had no learned education. His adversaries were 
often silenced by His answers. They found themselves 
so nonplussed, that they dared not ask Him any more 
questions, merely for fear of being more confounded — 
all which is a sufficient evidence that He knew very 
well what He said, and understood His doctrine, and 
was a person of clear reason ; who could not be abused 
by the impostures of fancy and imagination. 

Tenth. The holiness of His doctrine ; His conquests 
over the devil plainly showed that He was in favor with 
God. His disciples were too strong for the devil. These 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 95 

are the words of St. John in his Epistle, ii. 14 : "I write 
unto you, young men, because you are strong, and tiie 
word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome 
the wicked one." The more the doctrine of Christ was 
propagated, the more was the kingdom of the devil 
overthrown, and all his cheats detected and discovered ; 
all impiety was plucked up by the roots ; all superstitious 
devices, all magic, all divination wherewith he had long 
since gulled and cozened the world and kept them in 
idolatry, were presently vanquished. There is an excel- 
lent discourse concerning this in St. Athanasius' book, 
concerning the Incarnation of tJie ivorld. These few 
words of it must here be transcribed : " Who then let 
it be considered, and how great is this Christ ? who by 
His name and presence obscures and abolishes all things 
everywhere ; and alone prevails over all, and fills the 
whole world with His disciples ? Let the Gentiles that 
blush not to deride and laugh at us, tell me whether He 
be a mere man who does these things. If He be, why 
do they not blush to see one man stronger than all 
their gods? How came He to demonstrate by His 
power that they are nothing? But if they will call 
Him a magician, let them tell me again how it comes 
to pass that He destroys all magic, and doth not rather 
establish it." 

So our Saviour lays open all the devil's frauds, and 
discovers his wiles, and delivers men from all his sub- 
tile impostures. And the truth is. His adversaries 
never took Him for a vain enthusiast or for a man that 
was ignorantly deceived. And His cross, which proved 
the laughter of the Gentiles, and the stumbling-block 
of the Jews, honored Him in the world as the Son of 
God. It remains that our Saviour by His very death 



196 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

proved and confirmed the truth of what He preached. 
He first came by ivater and then He came by blood. 
And as His blood proves He did not abuse us with that 
which He knew to be false ; so the water, His holy 
doctrine and life, proves that He had no flaw in His un- 
derstanding, nor was abused Himself with any fancies 
or illusions, when He took Himself to be the Son of 
God, that He sealed it with His precious blood. 

Eleventh. And it ought to be considered, also, that it 
was prophesied by the holy men of God, that their 
Christ should suffer and be despised by men, and be in 
nothing more remarkable than in His sorrows. And, 
therefore. His Blood was a sign to those who believed 
those prophecies, that Jesus was the Christ, especially 
His Blood so disgracefully shed, because He appeared 
hereby as well as by other marks, to be the person 
whom all their inspired men pointed at and foretold 
should be their King. For the descriptions they have 
left of the cruel usage and horrible sufferings of the 
Messias or Christ answered to the life and were exactly 
fulfilled in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Hence it is that 
when He had ended all His sufferings, He said : // is 
consummated (John xix. 30), and so bowed His head and 
gave up the ghost. By which. words (it is consummated) 
He bade them mark that now all things that were writ- 
ten of Him in Psalm xxi. and Isaias liii., and other 
places of their holy books, were perfectly fulfilled, and 
received so punctual completion in Him, that there re- 
mained nothing more to be done, but only to die. He 
had done all His P^ather's will, and finished His whole 
work, and having no further business here. He worship- 
ped God that sent Him, and departed the world to go to 
Him. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. I97 

Twelfth. The accidents that happened at our Sav- 
iour's death, verified what He said concerning Himself. 
Let us only observe how the sun, contrary to its usual 
course, when the moon could not interpose itself between 
its light and them, was eclipsed three whole hours, as He 
was in His passion (Luke xxiii. 44, 45). And the veil 
of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bot- 
tom ; and the earth quaked ; and the rocks were rent ; 
and the graves were opened ; and the bodies of the saints 
that had slept arose, and went out of the tombs after 
His resurrection, and appeared unto many in the holy 
city (Matt, xxvii. 51-53). 

And when the Centurion and those that were under 
him, saw the earthquake and the things that were done, 
they feared greatly, saying : *' Lideed this was the Son 
of God " (verse 54). Thus was that fulfilled which our 
Saviour had foretold : '' When you shall have lifted up 
the Son of Man (upon the cross), then shall you know 
that I am He (that is, the Christ), and that I do nothing 
of myself, but as the Father hath taught me these things 
I speak" (John viii. 28). God declared that He was 
never better p/eased with Him, than when He laid down 
His life in this manner, to testify to the truth. 

Thirteenth. In the whole process against Him before 
His condemnation to the cross, there were the plainest 
marks of His innocence. After the chief priests had 
bound Him and led Him away, and delivered Him to 
Pontius Pilate, who as soon as he had examined Him 
whether He was the King of the Jews, and received 
our Saviour's answer, that He was (Matt, xxvii. 11), 
Pilate presently discerned that it was no earthly king- 
dom, and said to the chief priests, and to the people, 
'' I find no cause in this man " (Luke xxiii. 4). This 



198 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

nettled them very much to hear Him pronounced Inno- 
cent, whom they had judged guilty of the highest crime ; 
they endeavored to make good their charge and said He 
stirred up the people to sedition. Pilate devised many 
means to deliver Him, because as he told them, neither 
he nor Herod could find any fault in Him which should 
make Him worthy of death (Luke xxiii. 13, 14, 15), 
The Jews preferred a notorious villain who had com- 
mitted murder in an insurrection (verses 17, 18, etc.). 
Pilate asked them indeed (which was unbecoming a 
judge), what he should do with Jesus, that is called 
Christ (verse 22), as if His accusers, not he, were to de- 
termine His punishment. But he yet asked them also 
again and again, no less than three times, Why, what evil 
hath He done ? 

They cried out as loud as thy could : " Crucify Him, 
crucify Him." "■ Take Him you," said he, " and crucify 
Him, for I find no cause in Him " (John xix. 6). They form 
a new indictment against Him, and tell Pilate (verse f) 
that if he could not find Him guilty of death according 
to the Roman laws, yet '' by their law He ought to 
die, because He made Himself the Son of God." When 
Pilate therefore heard this that He called Himself the 
Son of God (which the Jews took for blasphemy), it put 
him into a greater fear than ever, and, therefore, he 
went back again in the hall, and asked our Saviour, 
Whence art Thou ? (verse 9), to which our Saviour re- 
plied nothing, either because he was unworthy to hear, 
or incapable to understand so weighty a truth (read 
verses 10, 11, 12). Pilate would not pronounce the sen- 
tence against Him, till he had first in as public a man- 
ner pronounced Him innocent, and washed his hands of 
His blood. '^ For He took water," says St. Matthew 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 1 99 

xxvii. 24, " and washed his hands before the people, 
saying : I am innocent of the blood of this just man ; 
look you to it." 

This very zvater, as well as the other I have men- 
tioned, was a witness to Jesus, that His very judge 
thought Him guiltless, though He had openly confessed 
Himself the Son of God. Pilate tries again if he could 
move those obdurate hearts from their cruel resolution, 
saying : Behold your King{]o\\n xix. 13, 14). The Jews 
turned away their heads, and cried out. Away with Him, 
away with Him, crucify Him (verse 15). ''What," says 
he, "shall I crucify your King?" To which the chief 
priests immediately returned such an answer as stopped 
his mouth, and made him not dare speak one word 
more in His behalf. They reminded him of his duty to 
his master, saying: "We have no king but Coesar." 
Then he delivered Him therefore unto them to be cru- 
cified (verse 16). " Pilate wrote a title " (showing the 
cause of His death), " and put it upon the cross" (verse 
19), and the writing was, Jesus of NazaretJi, the Khig of 
the Jews. They saw themselves plainly indicted by this 
title, in the face of the world, as the murderers of their 
King, which made them renew their petitions to Pilate 
that he would alter the inscription ; and not write. The 
King of the Jews, but that He said, I am the King of the 
Jews (verse 21). But now Pilate grew as obstinate as 
they, and gave them this short answer. What I have 
written, I have written (verse 22). 

That is, content yourselves, for the first writing shall 
stand, let the world make what they can of it. And 
there is no question but there was a divine providence 
in the business, that the cause of His death should be 
so expressed as that the Jews should be openly^on- 



200 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

demned and Jesus still cleared by Pilate even after he 
had not only given sentence against Him, but ordered 
it to be put in execution. All these things concurred 
to justify Him when His Blood was shed. The very 
title declared was to testify that He was tJieir King ; 
and told the world withal, that in the judgment of 
him, who was his judge. He was no deceiver, when He 
affirmed that He was tJieir King ; but the Jews, villain- 
ous traitors, who had crucified that person whom they 
ought to have honored and obeyed. 

Fourteenth. For which the terrible vengeance of God 
followed them ; and never left them till they had their 
ov/n wish. His blood was required at their hands, and 
at the hands of their posterity. For they never pros- 
pered from that time forward. About forty years after, 
their city was besieged by those whom they had impor- 
tuned to crucify our Saviour; the people of the nation 
banished ; and their children became vagabonds even 
to this day. St. John lived to see the day of Christ's 
coming with power to execute judgment upon them ; 
and His Blood, both upon the cross and upon their 
heads, is very fitly here alleged by the same apostle as 
a great witness that He was sent by God as His only 
Son. Pontius Pilate himself, though he was not so 
guilty as they who pursued Him out of hatred, yet he 
felt the weight of this crime, and was oppressed himself 
by false accusations which the Samaritans brought 
against him. Whereupon he was deprived of the gov- 
ernment of Judea, and having lost the authority which 
he abused in condemning our Saviour, he was con- 
strained, either by the grievous afflictions he endured, 
or by the command of Csesar, to become his own exe- 
cutioner for all the crimes he had committed. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 201 

I shall conclude this argument with these two obser- 
vations: First, That after our Saviour was dead, one of 
the soldiers pierced His side with his spear, and imme- 
diately tJiere eame out blood and water (J ohn xix. 34). For 
the water and blood which flowed out of His side were an 
argument in favor of His Humanity, which some wicked 
heretics then denied, and testified also that He was 
truly dead, and not merely in appearance. But it must 
be observed that St. John is not here proving Jesus 
Christ to be a true Man, but something far greater and 
more excellent, viz., that He was God's Son. That wa- 
ter and blood, therefore, if they have any relation to 
these witnesses here mentioned, were only emblems and 
adumbrations of these two grand proofs of our Saviour 
being the Christ, viz.. His purity and innocence, which 
appeared in His whole preaching and life, to which the 
water bears a resemblance; and His confession of the 
truth even unto death, which was lively represented by 
that blood. These two flowed from Him with such force 
that they have overspread the world with His faith; 
and the knowledge of tJie glory of the Lord hath covered 
the earth, even like to the waters which covered the sea. 

The second observation is, that they who denied Him 
to be the Christ, after they had acknowledged it, are 
said to tread under foot the Son of God, and to esteem 
the Blood of the testament unclean (Heb. x. 29); which 
expression could not be justified, if the apostles had 
not looked upon His Blood as an unreprovable witness 
to Him. For the meaning is, that those men who fell 
back to their old religion again, and deserted Christian- 
ity, made nothing of the testimony which God had given 
of His Son. As for His resurrection, they did not give 
any credit to that, though so strongly attested, but trod 
9* 



202 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

tmder foot the Son of God, as if He lay still in the 
grave ; and as far as His Blood, which was shed at His 
death, they looked upon it as if it were common blood. 
They shall be judged worthy of sorer punisJimcnts than 
the contemners of Moses ; because these men in effect 
made Jesus (who was infinitely greater than he) to be a 
mere impostor, a false prophet, and a blasphemer. They 
justified those that murdered Him, and crucified the Son 
of God again (Heb. vi. 6). This was the sense of every 
Christian apostasy. Now, it follows that His Blood 
testified His innocence (as I have shown), and was looked 
upon by others, as well as by St. John, to be a witness 
that He was the Son of God. Otherwise, they could 
not have been guilty of so great a crime, and fallen un- 
der such a heavy punishment, who despised His Blood 
and were no more moved by it than if it had been corn- 
mon, like the blood of one of the thieves that were cru- 
cified with Him. 

Moses' covenant and law were sealed only by the blood 
of bulls and goats, and yet those men suffered death 
without mercy, who either fell away to other gods, or 
made void his law — by which we may judge, says the 
apostle, what they are like to suffer who renounced the 
Christian religion, which was confirmed by a much 
greater Person, and by a more noble Blood, even by the 
Blood of the Mediator of this better covenant. Now, 
if His Blood was not an argument to induce men to be- 
lieve, and to continue in the state of Christianity, they 
could not be charged with such disrespect to it when 
they left this religion, nor be punished for scorning that 
which was of no force to tie them to the faith. But, if 
they were guilty of great contempt of it (having the 
knowledge of the truth), they became liable to far heav- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 203 

ier condemnation, " the dreadful judgment of God, and 
the rage of fire which shall consume the adversaries " 
(Heb. X. 27). In short, they who did not look upon His 
Blood as holy must condemn Him for a malefactor ; but 
they that did confess the sacredness of it must needs 
acknowledge Him not to have been a criminal, as the 
Jews pretended, but the So?z of God, as at His death He 
professed Himself. 

CONCERNING THE TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT. 

I have abundantly demonstrated that the two former 
witnesses testified that Jesus was the Son of God ; there 
is one more witness that still remains to be examined, 
viz., that of the Spij'it. In the sixth verse, St. John 
gives this illustrious character of it : It is the Spirit zvJncJi 
testificth that Christ is the truth. The testimony of the 
Spirit is the most eminent of the three, because it ex- 
cels the other two in clearness, and was always consid- 
ered most powerful to prove a truth ; it adds greater 
force unto the other two, and, together with them, 
makes up a most complete demonstration. For what-, 
soever defect any one may think is in the witness of the 
water, and of the blood, the Spirit perfectly supplies it, 
and proves beyond all doubt that a person who so lived 
and so died must needs be the Son of God. 

Now, by the Spirit we are not to understand either 
the descent of the Spirit of God on our Saviour at His 
baptism, or the pouring of it upon the apostles on the 
day of Pentecost ; for this was the testimony of the 
Holy Ghost, and that from heaven. But we are to un- 
derstand thcvchy, first, the miracles, wonders, and signs 
wrought by our Saviour before He died ; and secondly. 



204 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

His more wonderful resurrection to life again, after He 
was crucified, dead, and buried. 

There is a marked difference between the Holy Ghost 
and the Spirit. By the Holy Ghost seems commonly 
to be meant the gifts of tongues, of prophecy, of knowl- 
edge, of wisdom, of revelation, and such like ; whereas 
by the Spirit is generally meant the power of miracles, 
of healing diseases, casting out devils, feeding multi- 
tudes with very little food, and such like wonders. For 
we read that the Holy Ghost w^as not given while our 
Saviour lived (John vii. 39). And yet even then the 
apostles had the power of casting out devils, and heal- 
ing all manner of diseases ; which was a portion of that 
Spirit which our Saviour had without measure, but was 
not the Holy Ghost. Thus St. Peter says our Lord v/as 
anointed with the Holy Ghost, and with power (Acts x. 
38), where by power is meant something distinct from 
the Holy Ghost ; that which is here called Spirit, a fac- 
ulty of doing wonders ; as the other signifies a faculty 
of knowing the heart, of declaring the mind of God, 
and opening all the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. 

And thus in the Old Testament, where the Spirit of 
the Lord is said to come upon Othoniel (Judg. iii. 9), 
upon Gideon (vi. 34), upon Samson (xiii. 25 ; xiv. 6), 
they were made valorous and were endowed with great 
strength to achieve wonderful things above the power 
of man. And, indeed, in this consists one principal dif- 
ference between the Holy Ghost and the Spirit : that 
the former consecrated men to the office of interpreting 
God's mind ; but the latter did not : making them only 
valiant. What we are here to understand by the Spirit 
is, viz. : All wonderful things that our Lord did, and all 
that were done for Him upon the earth. For there is 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 20=; 

no doubt but that the Holy Ghost and the Spirit arc 
thus distinguished as they are here by St. John (the 
one being a witness in heaven, the other on earth). 

His miraculous works were the first testimony of the 
Spirit, particularly casting out devils and raising the 
dead. 

The prophet Isaias foretold that Jesus being God's 
beloved^ in zvhom His soul was well pleased^ would appear 
in this manner: for God, he says, would /z^^ His Spirit 
upon Him. This, St. Matthew applies to Jesus (xii. 
1 8), just after He had cured a man who had his hand 
withered, which shows what he understood by the 
Spirit. And our Lord Himself also expounds the mean- 
ing of it in the following verse. For after the recital 
of that prophecy of Isaias, the evangelist relates im- 
mediately how He healed a man possessed with a devil, 
blind and dumb (verse 22), which the Pharisees spitefully 
ascribed to the power of the devil, and not of God. 
He confutes them by this argument, that then the devil 
would pull down his own kingdom. The Pharisees 
ought to have concluded from these miraculous works 
that if He by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then it 
was apparent the kingdom of God was come unto them. 
Here Christ both tells us what the Spirit signifies, viz., 
such a power as this of casting out devils ; and also 
what was the end of giving the Spirit, viz., that they 
might know the Messias and His kingdom was come. 
That there was a mighty power in Him, His sworn 
enemies could not deny. The accusation of magic, 
which we find to this day in the Jewish books against 
Him, is an open acknowledgment that there were such 
miraculous things done as are recorded in the Gospel, 
which being granted, it is apparent the power that 



206 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

wrouglit them was divine, and that the devil had no 
hand in the business. For how could the devil be sup- 
posed to assist in such operations unless we will con- 
ceive him to have so little wit as to contrive the most 
effectual way to overthrow his own authority ? The 
very end for which our Saviour dispossessed devils, and 
did all other miraculous cures, was to win honor to 
God ; whereas, the devil in all that he doeth hath the 
quite contrary drift. All the fury and madness of de- 
mons fled before Him at the mention of His name ; we 
must confess that our Lord and Saviour was no demoni- 
acal power, but the very Son of God, the Word, the 
Wisdom, and the Power of the Father ; nay. He not 
only expelled them Himself, but gave His twelve apos- 
tles authority to cast them out, thereby showing He 
came to deliver men from the dominion of the devil, in 
that He gave the meanest men such power over him. 
" Go ye," says He, '' and preach, saying : The kingdom 
of heaven is at hand ; heal the sick, raise the dead, 
cleanse the lepers, cast out devils ; freely have you re- 
ceived, freely give" (Matt. x. 78). This was long before 
they received the Holy Ghost. And when He sent the 
seventy-two disciples afterward, though with a less por- 
tion of the Spirit than the twelve apostles had (Luke x. 
9), when they returned back to give Him an account, 
they tell Him with no small joy : '^ Lord, the devils also 
are subject to us in Thy name " (verse 17). 

When the Pharisees accused our Saviour of confed- 
eracy with Beelzebub, *' By whom," says He, " do your 
children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your 
judges " (Matt. xii. 27). There are those who are none 
of my disciples, but yours, that use my name for the 
casting out of devils, who immediately fly before them 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 20/ 

(Mark ix. 37). What do you think of them? do they 
deal with Beelzebub ? I know you will not pass such a 
judgment on your own disciples; and, therefore, this 
fact of theirs condemns your partiality, and proves my 
divine virtue. Nay, the devils themselves were so as- 
tonished at this power which they felt in His name 
that thereupon they acknowledged Him to be the 
Christ, when they confessed Him to be the Holy One of 
God (Mark i. 24). And so St. Luke expounds it (iv. 41). 
The raising of Lazarus is a remarkable testimony to 
Jesus. Lazarus, after he had been dead four days, and 
was already so far putrified that his friends dissuaded 
our Saviour from having his tomb opened lest it should 
prove offensive to Him, for it never entered into the 
mind of any man to think that a person really dead, as 
Lazarus undoubtedly was, could be restored to life by 
any power but that which gives us life — the power of 
Almighty God, And therefore, our Lord plainly de- 
signed this as the last thing He could do for their satis- 
faction while He was on earth, to prove that He was 
the Son of God. St. John tells us that "Jesus loved 
Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus. When He 
had heard, therefore, that he was sick, He still remained 
in the same place two days " (xi. 5, 6). One would 
think that he should have said, Therefore He began His 
journey presently into Judea, that He might come time 
enough to save him whom He loved. But He resolved 
quite the contrary, " because the Son of God was to be 
glorified by this sickness " (verse 4). Therefore He re- 
mained two days that Lazarus might be dead before He 
got to Bethania ; and He might get more glory by his 
resurrection than He had received by healing the sick, 
and casting out such a number of devils. For this 



208 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

proved that He had power not only to break, but ut- 
terly to destroy the zvorks of the devil, and to tread him 
under foot who had t\\Q pozver of death. 

This miracle wrought upon Lazarus was an evident 
token that Jesus was the Son of God. Now that our 
Saviour raised a dead man, there were many witnesses, 
for '' many of the Jews who came to Mary and Martha, 
and had seen the things that Jesus did, believed in 
Him" (John xi. 45); and the fame of it was so great 
that it drew " a great multitude of the Jews to that 
place, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see 
Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead " (Ibid, 
xii. 9). Nay, the Pharisees themselves could not deny 
this miracle (John xi. 47). But to extinguish the light 
and take away the convincing power of it, they thought 
it was best to remove Lazarus out of the way, and put 
him to death as well as our Saviour. For the sight of 
him converted a great many, as you read in xii. 10, 11. 
*' And on the next day a great multitude went forth to 
meet Jesus, and cried : Hosanna, blessed is he that 
Cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel " 
(verses 12, 13). 

The proud, ambitious Pharisees saw the crowd of peo- 
ple following Him, and heard them applaud Him as the 
great Son of David, with their Hosannas in the highest. 
This made them despair of blasting His fame, as long as 
He lived ; and therefore they grew more resolved that He 
should be put to death. For '' they said among them- 
selves: Do you see that we prevail nothing? Behold, 
the whole world is gone after Him!" (verse 19). Men 
of all nations, and not the Jews only, followed Him, 
and became His disciples, notwithstanding the scandal 
of the cross, which they had cast in their way to dis- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 209 

courage them. There Immediately followed an illustri- 
ous presage; for certain Gentiles, desiring to see Jesus 
(verse 20), there came a voice from heaven upon His 
prayer that God would glorify His own name, saying, 
/ have both glorified it, and will glorify it again (verse 
28). 

The glory of God had appeared in the raising of Laza- 
rus, which had drawn many of the Jews to Him ; and He 
promises shortly, by raising up Jesus from the dead, 
to draw also many such Gentiles as these to believe in 
His name. 

We conclude this in the words of Cosri. This Jew- 
ish writer rightly notes that learning still zvent along 
with the monarchies, never being at a greater height 
than in the greatest empire, that of the Romans ; and 
in the highest pitch of that empire when our Saviour 
appeared. Upon which account there cannot be any 
suspicion of fraud, in this or the rest of our Saviour's 
miracles, since they were not wrought in an ignorant 
age, nor in an obscure and barbarous nation, nor in 
some blind corner of the country; but openly, near a 
famous city (Jerusalem), where there were professors of 
wisdom, and in a time when men could easily distin- 
guish between a real miracle and a mere delusion. This, 
therefore, ought to have opened their eyes to see who 
He was whose miraculous works they could not but see. 
And it is justly mentioned, to their eternal reproach, 
that " whereas He had done so many miracles before 
them they believed not in Him " (John xii. 37). For 
they could not with any color ascribe them to any power 
but that of God ; who hereby told tJiem what the voice 
from heaven told Him, that this was His beloved Son, in 
who7n He was well pleased. 



2IO THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

And truly, there can no good reason be given why the 
apostles should spend so great a part of the short histo- 
ry they have left of His life, in relating His miraculous 
works, if they had not known them to be evident 
things which all the country could witness, and likewise 
esteem them powerful demonstrations that He w^as the 
Son of God ; which belief, if it were once rooted deeply 
in their hearts, the apostles knew, would irresistibly con- 
strain them to be obedient to Him in everything. This 
is that which gives His words such authority, which 
makes them to sink into our hearts : a belief that our 
Creator speaks unto us by His mouth. They were well 
aware that it was no easy thing to persuade the world of 
this ; for there is such avast distance between God and us, 
that a man will be apt to think the majesty of heaven will 
not enter into such familiarity and friendship with flesh 
and blood as to talk with them. Now, to persuade the 
world of this belief, Jesus wrought miracles, inverted 
the course of nature, which can be done by none but 
Him that created all things. For, the first time the 
apostles made a solemn acknowledgment that He was 
the Son of God, was upon the working of a great mira- 
cle before Peter, James, and John, when they were with 
Him on the Holy Mount. He had fed five thousand 
men, besides women and children, with five loaves and 
two fishes (Matt. xiv. 19). He overtook His disciples in 
the midst of the sea in the fourth watch of the night, 
and found them tossed with the waves, for the wind 
was contrary (Matt. xiv. 24, 25). They were afraid at 
the first sight of Him, and imagined it was a ghost. But 
w^hen He spoke to them, and said, " Be of good heart, 
it is I, fear ye not " (verse 27), Peter was desirous, if it 
were He, that He would call him to Him, and enable 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 211 

him to walk upon the water with Him. And so he did, 
as if it had been firm land, till his heart began to fail 
him when he saw the wind boisterous. But then our 
Lord put forth His hand, and kept him from sinking; 
and both brought him safe to the ship and made a calm. 
Upon this, they that were in the ship came and adored 
Him, saying: Indeed Thou art the Son of God (verse 33). 
The sudden ceasing of the wind ; His bearing up Peter, 
and making him walk with Him on the rough surface of 
the water; and His feeding also great multitudes with 
little provision ; made them conclude that He was greater 
than any man ever was. Their minds were overcome 
by the mighty power of God in Him, which subdued 
their understandings perfectly to the faith, and so bowed 
and inclined their hearts that they could not but pros- 
trate themselves at His feet, and acknowledge Him to 
be the anointed of God. They were now sure that He 
was the Son of God ; and they were no easy people 
that believed lightly and foolishly, only out of love of 
novelty, or some such vain humor, but were convinced 
and overpowered by the hand of God, which was stretched 
out to work such wonders as these whensoever Jesus 
pleased. 

And therefore Jesus had great reason to appeal to 
His apostles as one of His witnesses, when any disputed 
or doubted His authority. When the '^ Jews encircled 
Him, and said to Him : How long dost Thou hold our 
souls in suspense? if Thou be the Christ, tell us plain- 
ly " (John X. 24), '' He answered them : I told you, 
and you believe not ; the works that I do in the name 
of my Father, they give testimony of me " (verse 25). 
" If I do not the works of m.y Father, believe me not ; 
but if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the 



212 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

works, that you may know and believe that the Father 
is in me and I in the Father" (verses 37, 38). And so 
He tells all His apostles that the Jews were inexcusable 
upon this account, because they did not acknowledge 
Him for the Son of God, though He did such miracles 
as Moses and all the prophets never did (John xv. 24). 
" If I had not done among them the works that no other 
man hath done, they would not have sin (in not receiv- 
ing Him as their Messias, the Son of God) ; but now 
they have both seen and hated both me and my Fa- 
ther." •' But I have a greater testimony than that of 
John ; for the works which the Father hath given me 
to perfect — the works themselves, which I do — give tes- 
timony of me, that the Father hath sent me " (John v. 
36). Who could grapple with the devil, the prince of 
this world (John xii. 31), but only He who is God blessed 
forever, as Jesus appeared by these miraculous works to 
be? And it is very remarkable that He wrought His 
miracles frequently, just as God Almighty brings things 
to pass. God, says Moses, said, Let tJiere be light, and 
there ivas light. He spoke, as the Psalmist's words are, 
a?id it was do?ie ; He commaiided, and it stood fast. In 
like manner did our Saviour say to the leper (Matt. viii. 
3), " Be thou made clean," and forthwith his leprosy was 
cleansed; and to ''the unclean spirit: Deaf and dumb 
spirit, I command thee to go out of him ; and the spirit 
cried, and came out of him " (Mark ix. 24, 25). And to 
Lazarus, Come forth ; and he that was dead came forth, 
bound hand and foot with grave-clothes ; which was a 
remarkable evidence that indeed He was the Son of 
God, since He acted so like the Father Almighty. 

It may be said, indeed, that Moses and some of the 
prophets wrought miracles ; and yet cannot thence be 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 213 

concluded to be persons of such quality. But their mir- 
acles were nothing In comparison to those of the Lord 
Jesus. St. John concludes his gospel by recording some 
of them : " But there are also many other things which 
Jesus did; which If they were written every one, the 
world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the 
books that should be written." 

And here let us briefly observe the different way of 
proceeding for the establishing a religion instituted by 
men, and a religion whose author is God. When men 
make laws and settle a religion, whose origin is from 
their own minds, and devised by themselves ; though 
they may pretend that It came from God, yet they are 
not able to make It take place without the sword, or 
the assistance of some prince, who by his authority 
shall cause It to be received. But a religion that Is In- 
deed divine, is planted in a divine manner. When laws 
are derived from God, He establishes them by His 
power, and overawes men by such Avonders, as without 
any human force procure obedience. Thus the Jew- 
ish religion began ; when the children of Israel were in 
grievous servitude, God sent Moses and Aaron armed 
with no power but that of working miracles, whereby 
the prince that kept them in bondage was forced to let 
them go. And In their journey they were conducted 
by the guidance of a bright cloud, and they passed 
through the sea, and they were fed with manna In the 
wilderness forty years ; and saw one miracle after an- 
other, which convinced them they ought to submit to 
that Word of the Lord which Moses spoke unto them. 

Now just as Moses proved his mission from God, so 
our Saviour likewise demonstrated that H^e was the 
Royal Prophet whom Moses foretold God would send 



214 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

into the world. In an age, when they not only groaned 
under the Roman yoke, but were also superstitlously 
enthralled and grievously oppressed by the devil, God 
raised up a mighty salvation to them out of the house 
of His servant David. 

Let us now proceed (having heard what the Spirit 
did by Him) to consider what wonderful things it did 
for Him, whereby it proved Him to be the Son of God. 

The Spirit raised up Jesus from the dead, and not 
long after advanced Him into heaven to live forever 
with God. '' He was put to death indeed in the flesh " 
(being mortal as we are), " but enlivened in the Spirit '' 
(i Pet. iii. 1 8), that is, raised up again from the dead by 
that divine power in Him whereby He had raised up 
others before He died. When the disciples were fully 
persuaded of His Resurrection, then they add this as 
an argument of the greatest force to convince the world 
that He was the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind. 
This is the substance of St. Peter's first sermons to the 
Jews and Gentiles. Read but what he says to his cru- 
cifiers on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 22, 23, 24; x. 
38, 39, 40). 

The apostles had nothing to add beyond this, which 
was the greatest testimony of the Spirit to Him. Now 
it spoke with a loud voice in His behalf ; for if He had 
not been God's Son, He would never have taken Him 
out of His grave, much less have advanced Him into 
the heavens, where it is manifested He now lived, by 
the coming of the Holy Ghost ; which fell upon Cor- 
nelius and his friends, while St. Peter was speaking 
those words. 

The Spirit, which St. John here says is the truth, open- 
ly declared, by restoring Him to life, that His blood was 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 215 

most acceptable to God. It showed that it was no 
common thing, but the Blood of the Holy One of God. 
And if the Spirit could not be believed in this, it would 
have lost all credit ; we could never have known any- 
thing by the greatest wonders it can work, if such 
things had been done for a deceiver, as is apparent 
were done for Jesus Christ. 

Christ before He died, promised His apostles that He 
would rise again, and gave this also as a sign to all the 
people, whereby they should know that He was the 
Christ. For He tells His apostles that they should see 
Him betrayed and killed, but on the third day He should 
rise again (Matt. xvi. 21; xvii. 22, 23; xx. 19; John 
xvi. 16). It was their custom in all ages, and with great 
reason, to ask for a sign that a man was sent by God, 
and, therefore, now that Jesus came with such authority 
as to redress many abuses and to reform that nation 
and temple, they asked Him, "What sign dost Thou 
show unto us, seeing Thou doest these things?" (John 
ii. 18). 

He had given them sign enough already, and there- 
fore makes no other answer but this : " Destroy this 
temple" (pointing to His body), "and in three days I 
will raise it up " (verse 19). 

We have reason to conclude, as St. Paul did after he 
had seen Him alive, this is the very Christ. Upon this 
ground it was that the apostles so much rejoiced when 
they saw Him, again, as St. John tells us (ii. 22) : " When 
therefore He was risen again from the dead, His disci- 
ples remembered that He had said this " (concerning 
the raising up the temple of His body) " and they be- 
lieved the Scripture and the word that Jesus had said." 

This was the greatest sign, though He had done 



2l6 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

more miracles than ever Moses and the prophets had 
done from the beginning; and many things in His life- 
time to persuade the Jews that He was the Christ. But 
still they were so perverse as to ask for more signs : 
Mastery we would see a sign from thee (Matt. xii. 38). 
And therefore our Saviour calls them *' an evil and 
adulterous generation." The Scribes and Pharisees 
had evident tokens of a divine presence in Him. Why 
should He gratify men whom nothing would satisfy 
but a sign from heaven, which St. Luke says they de- 
manded? Therefore He tells them no sign shall be 
given them, but the sign of the prophet Jonas (which was 
not a sign from heaven, but from the bowels of the 
earth). " For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three 
days and three nights : so shall the Son of Man be in 
the heart of the earth three days and three nights " 
(Matt. xii. 39, 40). Which was as much as to say : it is 
in vain to attempt to convince your corrupt minds by 
such means as these, and therefore I must tell you that 
the only means of opening your eyes and conquering 
your perverseness is my Resurrection. But if you still 
persist in unbelief when this is fulfilled, " the men of 
Ninive shall rise in judgment with you and condemn 
you ; because they did penance at the preaching of 
Jonas ; and behold, a greater than Jonas is here" (verse 

41). 

The Jews, Scribes, and Pharisees now attempted to 
persuade the people that Jesus was not raised again. 
They were utterly undone, they knew, and must lose all 
their reputation with the people, if He was raised from 
the dead (because it would effectually prove what they 
denied), and therefore they hired the soldiers to say that 
His disciples stole Him away while they slept. A silly 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 21/ 

story, a malicious slander which the Pharisees had de- 
vised. But the apostles of our Lord fully knowing the 
truth of the facts and the absurdity of the calumny, 
could not be deterred by punishment, from preaching 
Jesus and resurrection. And if they had any doubts 
remaining, this very tale helped to disperse them. 
But they were soon past all doubts by the coming 
of the Holy Ghost, whom Jesus sent them to witness 
the Resurrection. By this Jesus broke forth upon 
them in a fresh lustre ; and like the sun rended all 
the clouds in pieces, illuminated not only them, but 
the whole world in a short space, with the beams of 
His glory. 

I shall conclude, with the apostle St. Paul, that this 
piece of the mystery of godliness is, without controver- 
sy, God majiifestcd in the flesh ; justified in or by the 
Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead ; which warrant- 
ed Him to be God manifested in our flesh ; cleared 
Him from all malicious accusations of His adversaries ; 
wiped off all the guilt which was cast upon Him ; set 
Him before the eyes of the world as innocent and just, 
and made glorious and great even in His Blood (Heb. 
xiii. 20). 

Now, to show more fully the greatness of this testi- 
mony of the Spirit, let us consider that speech of our 
Saviour : " Therefore I say to you : Every sin and blas- 
phemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the 
Spirit shall not be forgiven " (Matt. xii. 31), which heavy 
doom St. Mark tells us was pronounced upon them, be- 
cause they said He had an unclean spirit (iii. 30). This 
shows what the blasphemy was, in which, if they con- 
tinued, there was no hope of pardon. For He, by the 
Spirit of God, cast out devils (as He tells them, verse 28) ; 
10 



2l8 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

then It was rank blasphemy, the highest degree of evil 
speaking and calumny, to impute these very cures and 
Vv'onderful works to the power of the devil, which were 
wrought by that divine power. And this sin was there- 
fore unpardonable, which shows how great this testi- 
mony of the Spirit is, because there were no means left 
to convince them that Jesus was the Son of God (with- 
out which belief their sins could not be forgiven), if 
they persisted not only in denying the authority of the 
Spirit, but were so bold as to blaspheme it. God Him- 
self has no higher evidence to give them than this of 
His Spirit. 

And thus our Saviour's meaning is expounded ; if any 
one should speak a word against the Son of Man (that 
is. Him), despising Him because of His poor parentage, 
and calling Him the son of a carpenter, or such name — - 
this, though blamable, might be pardoned, /;'^//^r cor- 
poris vilitatem, as St. Hieronymus speaks ; and should 
they call Him a deceiver, or a seducer, when they heard 
Him teach the people, it would not be unpardonable, 
because no man is to be believed merely upon his own 
word. But if, when these men saw the mighty works 
of the Spirit justify His preaching to be divine, they 
still continued to speak ill of Him, this was a very dan- 
gerous blasphemy ; because they could not, after this, 
call Him a seducer or false teacher, but they must re- 
proach the Holy Spirit as well as Him, and call that the 
work of the devil which was performed by the power of 
the Spirit of God. And when the HoJy Ghost was come 
from heaven upon the apostles' witnesses that He was 
quickened by the Spirit, and by the same Spirit present- 
ed to God in the heavens, they still went on to speak 
evil of Him, then there was no hope of remission, be- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 219 

cause they blasphemed the last remedy for their recov- 
ery, which was the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven 
to persuade them to repent and believe in His name. 
Therefore, they that denied the testimony of the Holy 
Ghost, who had come down from heaven (after our 
Saviour's glorification) to bear witness that He was 
quickened by the Spirit, perished in their infidelity, 
there being nothing more to be done for the opening 
their eyes and persuading them that Jesus was the Son 
of God. 

Thus I have done now with this last witness on earth, 
the Spirit, which concurs and agrees with all the former 
in this truth. The Blood of Jesus attested this before 
all the people ; this was the title over His cross, that 
He was the King of the Jews ; and this the Spirit said ; 
it was the language of every one of His wonderful works, 
and of His resurrection also, and His enthronation (of 
which the Holy Ghost gave assurance) ; and expressly 
justified it to all the world. And, therefore, how can 
we choose but think this is a sure word [that He is the 
Son of God] which is established out of the mouth, not 
of two or three, but of twice three witnesses of unques- 
tionable credit. And these three last ought to be very 
carefully considered, because they were on earthy and 
upon that account nearer to us. 

The testimony of the Father is certain, because it was 
heard by several excellent persons; yea, once by a mul- 
titude of people. That of the Word also is infallible, 
and we cannot with any reason doubt whether there was 
such evidence, because St. Stephen, St. Paul, St. John, 
were persons of unspotted reputation, who heard it, and 
also did and suffered the hardest things upon the credit 
of it. That the Holy Ghost also fell upon Him at His 



220 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

baptism, a great prophet so confidently affirmed that it 
was profaneness to deny it. But yet, excepting the tes- 
timony of the Holy Ghost after His ascension, there 
were none of those witnesses in heaven heard by so 
many as these three last mentioned, who, as St. John 
says, bear witness on earth. 

It was a remarkable thing that no m.an could fasten 
the suspicion of any crime upon our Saviour, but the 
cry of the people was like that when " He opened a 
blind man's eyes. He hath done all things well" (Mark 
vii. 37). And as for His Blood, the second witness on 
earth, that was shed in the face of the sun, at a great 
feast, when from foreign countries they were assembled 
at Jerusalem. All the incidents which attended His 
death were things that never have been contradicted. 
No man then had the impudence to deny the eclipse of 
the sun, the earthquake, the rending of the veil of the 
Temple, and the rest of the astonishing things that then 
happened. The first of them is mentioned by a pagan 
writer; and as for His niiraculous works, they were 
generally done openly, at feasts, in the synagogue, on 
the highways ; and were so commonly talked of that 
the rulers feared all the world would run after Him 
(John xii. 19). Therefore the apostles could not falsify 
in the report of these things, lest they might be easily 
confuted, which no man ever attempted, but both Jews 
and Gentiles acknowledged that He wrought miracles, 
for His apostles wrought them everywhere, and so did 
their successors in . ages after. To these the ancient 
as well as later Christians appeal, as an undoubted testi- 
mony of their faith. His resurrection also was attested 
by five hundred people who saw Him, together, at once ; 
and it was proved beyond contradiction by the strange 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 221 

descent of those miraculous gifts upon His apostles, ac- 
cording to His promise ; which came upon them when 
all the nation were assembled together to be witnesses 
of it. Yea, the apostles themselves went over all the 
world, and openly showed the power of Jesus which was 
in them. 

Now, if you grant there were such witnesses, which 
no sober man can deny (they being visible here on 
earth), there can be no doubt remaining of this, that 
Jesus is the Son of God. They proclaim this so loudly 
with one voice that St. John had reason to say. We saw 
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
They beheld it in His preaching and life ; they beheld 
it in His bloody death, but especially in the power of 
His Spirit, both before He died, and in raising Him up 
again from the dead ; and they beheld it also when 
they were with Him on the holy mount, and had the 
testimony of the rest of the heavenly witnesses, which 
were heard on earth though they were in heaven, as 
men of high quality and unblemished integrity did con- 
stantly affirm. Having received the Holy Ghost they 
were able to demonstrate His resurrection. For "with 
great power did the apostles give testimony of the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord " (Acts iv. 33). 
And the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was the most 
powerful witness that He was the Son of God. 



222 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



ETERNAL LIFE. 

"And this is the testimony that God hath given to us eternal 
life, and this life is in His Son." — i John v. ii. 

ETERNAL LIFE IN GENERAL. 

There is more contained in these two words, eternal 
life, than all the world can discover. But we have the 
Church of God to steer our course, in whose teaching, 
derived from the sacred Books and the holy Fathers, it is 
most certain that it signifies a full and constant enjoyment 
of all the happiness which our being is capable to receive. 

And this life is called by our Saviour seeing God and 
beliolding His glory, and being with otir Lord, which are 
names of such transcendent greatness that we had 
needs enjoy this happiness to understand them. Let 
us, therefore, here reflect before we search in the mean- 
ing of this phrase, which is the sublimest and the most 
comprehensive of all other whereby this eternal life is 
described to us. 

And the least that can be meant by it is, that we 
shall dwell in His House in heaven, where there are so 
many mansions. There the angels are said to stand 
before God, to behold the face of onr heavenly Father • 
and therefore we shall see God, and shall be more like 
angels than men if we shall be accounted worthy of 
that world and of the resurrection from the dead " 
(Luke XX. 35). 

*' We are now sons of God/* says St. John, that is in 

(222) 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 223 

a state of great favor with Him, but we have far greater 
things in hope ; " it hath not yet appeared what we 
shall be " (i Epist. iii. 12). The meaning of these last 
words is this : That the manner wherein we shall be 
the SO/IS of God in the other world is not now manifest. 
St. John tells us that when He shall appear we shall be 
like Him, it being natural that the child should bear 
resemblance to its Father. 

From hence it follows, that to see God is to enjoy 
such favors as He will be pleased to impart unto us in 
that holy place where He dwells. For to see, in the 
language of the Hebrews, is to enjoy when it is applied 
to a thing desirable. Thus, to see good (Psal. xxxiii. 
13) is to possess it ; and " to see the good things of the 
Lord in the land of the living" (xxvi. 13) is to be de- 
livered by God, and to enjoy the sweet fruits of it be- 
fore dying. And that, likewise, which is said to be 
seen in one place is said to be tasted in another; as to 
see death (John viii. 51) is the same as tasti7ig of death 
(verse 52), which is a demonstration, that to see in their 
language is frequently used for the sense of perception 
or enjoyment of any object. 

And since we can enjoy nothing without a preceding 
knowledge of it, we are to understand that to see God 
as He is will be to have our minds filled with a knowl- 
edge of Him, so clear, so DISTINCT, AND STRONG, that 
it will even turn us into His own nature, life, and bliss. 
We shall not know Him as we do now, by similitudes, 
resemblances, and expressions borrowed from other 
things, but by a clear knowledge of Him wherein our 
hearts will be infinitely pleased. God will dwell in 
them, and they shall be possessed of Him, of His life, 
of His joys, by having a sensible perception of the wis- 



224 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

dom, the goodness, the purity of all the perfections that 
shine in Himself. 

And when our Lord prays that His disciples may see 
His glory (John xvii. 24), His meaning is, that they 
might have their share at last with Him in His happi- 
ness, and be admitted to take a part with Him in that 
supreme dignity to which He was ready to be advanced. 
And thus, when St. John invites others into the Chris- 
tian Church, telling them that " their fellowship was with 
the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ " (i John i. 
3). It is the singular privilege of CHRISTIAN PEOPLE 
to be admitted unto a partnership with God and our 
Saviour in their most happy life, and to have hopes and 
expectation to partake with them in their eternal bliss. 

We shall understand the mystery of the Blessed 
Trinity, which now the sense of our weakness forbids 
us to pry into, and be able to unfold how the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one, without any 
diversity or separation of nature (as St. Austin ex- 
presses this mystery). And St. Basil had taught us to 
mark this in those words of our Saviour : " My sheep 
hear my voice " (John x. 27) ; they Jiear^ not question 
or dispute. They believe He is the word of God, but do 
not ask how, nor say : if He was always, then He was 
not begotten ; or, if He was begotten, then He was not 
always. These are not the words of the sheep of Christ, 
who receive His voice and inquire no farther. 

We believe one divine nature in three Persons ; and 
that the divine nature in the Person of the Father re- 
quired satisfaction for the transgressions of men against 
His holy laws, and that the same divine nature in the 
Person of the Son undertook to make satisfaction for 
us, in taking our nature on Him, whereby He had by 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 225 

right of consanguinity the authority and power of re- 
deeming us ; and the same divine nature in the Person 
of the Holy Ghost approved and sealed this happy and 
ever BLESSED COMPROMISE. And therefore, if our 
Saviour pronounced His disciples blessed, because their 
eyes saw and their ears heard such things as the 
prophets and just men had longed to see and hear, but 
could not attain that happiness, how much more blessed 
shall we find ourselves when we come to see things as 
much beyond what is now manifested as this revelation 
is beyond the ignorance of former ages? We shall both 
wonder at our childish presumption in offering to talk 
of things so much above our reach, and wonder at the 
grace of the ever blessed Trinity, which hath conducted 
us notwithstanding to the sight of their undivided glory. 
But the body as well as the soul will be admitted to 
share with Him in those supreme felicities. We shall 
live in that place where He dwells in light tinapprocich- 
able by mortal men ; in the company of holy angels, 
who, as so many stars of glory, will add, if it be possi- 
ble, to the splendor of that place ; and with our Blessed 
Saviour, God-man, whose glorified Body we shall be- 
hold. And so behold it, that we shall bear the image 
of the heavenly^ as we have borne the image of the earthly. 
We shall be made immortal, that is, we shall be ever 
with the Lord in such glorious bodies as His is ; so that 
in ourselves we may see the glory of God. 

ETERNAL LIFE IN PARTICULAR. 

It concerns us more than anything else to understand 
the everlasting life, that Jesus Christ should give us, 
after our short labors or sufferings here. I shall ven- 

lO* 



226 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

ture to explain as clearly as I can, these two words, 
life and its eternal duration. 

. Life is nothing else but the exercise of all those fac- 
ulties and powers which are proper and peculiar to us, 
upon their true and natural objects. 

Man consists of soul and body as his essential parts ; 
and the soul, as the better part, must be considered in 
this state of bliss; and from it bliss will be derived to 
the body. The several faculties and operations of our 
own souls shall be enlarged, and their force increased 
by the mighty change which shall be made in us at 
death and at the resurrection. Those faculties thus 
improved, we shall be able to frame in our mind some 
distinct apprehension of this blessed life. Now we all 
know there are two faculties of our soul, the under- 
standing and the will, upon which all operations de- 
pend ; and it is as certain, that the satisfaction and 
felicity of the understanding can consist in nothing 
but in knowledge and contemplation of the HIGHEST 
TRUTH ; and that the happiness of the will consists in 
the love of that which is of the HIGHEST GOOD. 

God alone, who eminently contains in His own being 
all things that are and can possibly be, can perfect our 
happiness by satisfying our boundless desire of wisdom 
and knowledge. And who can doubt but God will fill our 
souls with the knowledge of eternal life, since He hath 
promised by our Saviour, that the pure of heart shall 
see God. That is, know Him and contemplate Him in 
that Eternal Life which Christ hath revealed. And it 
may well be called '' seeing " in Scripture, because knowl- 
edge to the mind is the same with seeing to the eyes ; 
and the understanding to the soul is the same with the 
eye to the body. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 22/ 

The contemplative and greatest philosophers of an- 
tiquity discoursed of the celestial orbs with extraordin- 
ary pleasure and delight, when they beheld the order 
and graceful motion of those heavenly bodies. If there 
be such pleasure in searching after all THE MYSTERIOUS 
LEARNING contained in this great book of the creatures 
(which employs the study of innumerable souls night 
and day), you may easily conceive it must needs be a 
most sublime satisfaction to know Him clearly who is 
the Author of this structure, whose artifice now ravish- 
es contemplative minds into such admiration. 

Now, if man could know the art there is in the frame 
of the heavens, or if he could but reflect upon his own 
soul, as to know its nature, all its motions, the spring 
and the manner of them, nay, but know his own body, 
which, as the Psalmist says, is so fearfully and wonder- 
fully made, that it astonishes our minds when we seri- 
ously think of it ; by this you may judge what a happy 
life it will be to be acquainted with God, by whose 
wisdom the heavens were, and all the host of them by 
the breath of His Mouth, and who fashioned all our 
souls, and curiously wrought all the members of our 
bodies. 

You will ask, perhaps. But what is it that we shall 
know of God ? Do you tell us of a mysterious dark- 
ness? And who can fasten his heart on things of which 
he has no perception? or delight in the thoughts of 
that with which he has no acquaintance ? I answer, we 
are already acquainted with something of Him, though 
" we see now through a glass in AN OBSCURE MANNER". 
([ Cor. xiii. 12). As a glass represents not the thing 
itself, but its imiage ; and he that sees a thing in a glass 
does not know it immediately from itself, but from its 



228 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

image ; such Is the knowledge we have of God in this 
hfe. We know Him by the effects of His power, wis- 
dom, and goodness ; and by the revelation He has made 
of His mind and will in His Gospel. 

And though the knowledge of God be but obscure, 
and not so clear as we desire ; yet so much is plainly 
revealed, that one day we shall see Him face to face. 
We shall be transformed into His image, and by being 
assimilated to His divine nature, be made partakers of 
the joys and pleasures which are inseparable from it. 
And if the transfigured Humanity of Christ (as St. 
Anselm meditates in Matt, xvii.) in company of two 
saints gave such delight when it was seen but for a 
point of time ; oh, how great will the pleasure be of see- 
ing the Deity among the choirs of angels ! If St. Peter, 
beholding the GLORIFIED HUMANITY, was affected with 
such a joy that he desired never to part with that sight ; 
what shall we think of those who shall be counted worthy 
to see the Divinity? 

If the nature of this life be farther examined, you will 
find the mind is not the only faculty that shall be grati- 
fied, but the will shall conceive a love as great as the 
knowledge of which I have discoursed. For as God is 
the highest object of the understanding, being the prime 
truth : so He is the chief object of the will, being first 
and best good. 

Let us remember that God is love ; and that by our 
love He will be in its, and by His love zve shall be in Him. 
But if we descend lower than this, and only represent 
to ourselves how great a happiness to be beloved by 
the whole family of God in heaven. Look down from 
the highest angel to the smallest infant that shall be 
blessed there, from the noblest to the meanest in that 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 229 

celestial court, and there is not one of them but will 
love us. They that are the greatest in that glory, will 
be the greatest lovers; they that enjoy most of God, 
will be disposed to let us enjoy most of them. For 
there is no pride in THE HEAVENLY CHOIR. Let us en- 
ter upon this heavenly life with all the speed we can 
make. Let us begin this very moment ; and endeavor 
that no moment may pass hereafter, but in the love of 
God. For there is no heart so stony and insensible, 
that will not be dissolved into flesh, and receive any 
impressions from God, if it be once touched with the 
serious thoughts of this state of love. No soul so hard 
frozen and icy, that will not be thawed and melted, 
when it does but feel the least spark of this heavenly 
Fire. 

Truly the light is sweet, says the wise man, and it is 
delightful for the eyes to sec the sun (Eccles. xi. 7). The 
divine light excels all other, and the majesty and splen- 
dor of the Author of Nature is beyond the best of His 
works, the glory and the brightness of the sun. And 
if it now please us so much to think that we are really 
beloved of God, and of His Son Jesus, what an end- 
less pleasure will the sense of their love yield us, when 
it has placed us in heaven. Our divine Lord has 
plainly told us that they who love Him will rejoice now, 
because He is gone to the Father (John xiv. 28), and 
therefore it must needs be AN ADDITIONAL PLEASURE 
in the other life to see (what we here believe) our dearest 
Lord shining in the glory of God the Father, and en- 
throned on the right hand of the Majesty in the 
heavens. 

For it is the highest kind of life in this world, which 
has an apprehension that it lives. This makes the life 



230 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

of man above the life of beasts, and his pleasures above 
that they enjoy. 

We have many considerations left us now, in the 
gospel of Christ, to refresh our minds from His great 
love in becoming a man for us, from His cross, from 
His resurrection, from His Ascension and sitting at 
God's right hand, from His promise of coming again, 
and the hope we have of reigning with Him forever. 
What if you should lose this life to attain that which 
is eternal? It will be no dear purchase, but bring you 
in an increase of more than a hundred-fold. Whatso- 
ever you expend here for the Lord Jesus, He has given 
you His bond for it, that it shall be repaid with ''good 
measure, and pressed down, and shaken together, and 
running over into our bosom " (Luke vi. 38). Look 
upon the little birds, and hearken how they chirp and 
sing in the wide and spacious air, Avhere they have no 
limits set to their liberty, and then think what a cheer- 
ful life they lead, in comparison with one that is per- 
petually cooped in a cage. And look again upon your 
own souls, which we think are capable of the highest 
pleasures, and cannot you conceive a little, how delight- 
ful they will find it to be always singing in the vastest 
liberty and freedom ? To be spreading their wings in 
the boundless light to which God will bring them ; 
and to be uttering their joys, as they see themselves 
encompassed on all sides with innumerable objects of 
contentment ? O how infinitely will it transcend all 
that they are capable of while they are imprisoned, 
or rather pinioned, in this body ! though one moment 
of those joys which are sometimes felt here by holy 
souls, is not to be exchanged for all that the world 
can offer in its stead. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 23 1 

And these songs will be made more melodious by all 
the angels and saints who will make up but one happy- 
choir, and shall sing the loudest and sweetest praises to 
our Creator and Redeemer. And what delight, we may 
conceive, will they take in the delicate strains of each 
other? when they all lift up their voices together, as 
those myriads of holy ones which St. John saw (Rev. 
V. 12) acknowledging the Lamb worthy to receive 
*' power, divinity, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and 
benediction," which (as he says, verse 13) all good 
Christians even in this world delight to ascribe " unto 
Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, for- 
ever and ever." 

But it is not the soul only which will be happy in 
this eternal life. That word imports the supreme felic- 
ity of the whole man ; and, therefore, man consisting 
of a body as well as a soul, that must come in for a share 
in this bliss, and at last be made partaker of it. Par- 
ticular illustrations concerning the life of the body 
after the resurrection, would render my remarks too 
long, and now I prefer to deal in generalities ; because 
I have been longer than I intended in describing the 
operations of our nobler part. A slight allusion to 
well-known examples must be sufficient. 

Firsts the body must needs be transformed into a 
very noble being, which is to be the companion of such 
an exalted soul. We need much of its brightness and 
glory, which the Scripture seems to say shall be so 
great, that it will contend with the splendor of the sun 
itself ; and we may very well believe it, seeing it is to 
be the vesture of a spirit so illuminated by the vision 
of God. For which reason, among others, it may be that 
the apostle calls it a spiritual body. And the apostle 



232 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

indeed tells us (which is the second thing) that Christ, 
by His power which is able to subdue all things to 
Himself, will " make it like to His own glorious body " 
(Phil. iii. 2i). Now what the brightness of that is, you 
may learn from the visions of the two great apostles, 
St. Peter and St. Paul (Matt. xvii. ; Acts xi. 9). 

The bodies we shall have after the resurrection will 
differ as vastly from those we have now, as earth does 
from heaven ; and those heavenly bodies which we shall 
put on will differ very much among themselves in 
brightness and glory. As " the glory of the celestial 
bodies is one, and that of the terrestrial another," so 
the apostle tells us (among the celestial) '^ there is one 
glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and an- 
other glory of the stars ; for star differeth from star in 
glory, so also is the resurrection of the dead " (i Cor. 
XV. 40, 41, 42). That is, some will have bodies more 
bright than others, and shine as stars of a greater mag- 
nitude ; to note them to be persons of eminent rank, 
who have done very glorious service to their Lord. 

The martyrs, for instance, whose bodies were slain or 
burnt for Christ's sake, we may well suppose, will be 
more splendid than those who were laid in their graves 
in peace. And, therefore, to conclude this discourse, I 
shall only add these words of which we may be certain ; 
that v/hether it be a greater or a lesser glory that we 
attain, we shall all shine together in one most blessed 
and glorious place. 

ETERNITY OF THIS LIFE. 

Life among the Jews, according to the letter of their 
law, signifying only all earthly good things, there was 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 233 

only a long life, not an eternal, in the land of Canaan, 
promised to them that kept that Law. 

But the life promised by Christ, consisting only in 
the enjoyment of spiritual and heavenly blessings, it is 
not a long, but an eternal, never-ending life, in the pos- 
session of those good things which He has assured 
to us. 

Now, the word eternal may be conceived to compre- 
hend in it these three things. First, There is nothing 
but life in the state of blessedness, which shall not be 
interrupted by any doleful accident. The eternity of 
life must include in its notion a state of pure happiness, 
without anything that deserves the name of death to 
give it the least annoyance. 

Let the readers pardon me, if I so far digress as 
to ask them, what is this wilderness wherein you live, 
that you should love it better than that heavenly Ca- 
naan ? What is forty years, or perhaps seventy, of toil 
and labor, to that eternal rest which Christ has prom- 
ised ? Are not these husks contemptible in respect of the 
manna, tJie Bread of life, of which if a man eat he shall 
live forever ? Is not our life here a dream, a shadow 
of life, in comparison with this life that is everlasting? 

Second. Eternal life will be without any intermission, 
as well as without any intermixture ; as there is no con- 
trary sense of grief in that happy state, so there is no 
insensibleness of joy. 

The blessed soul will never cease to feel its own 
pleasures, because, as there is no night in that heavenly 
country, so there is no sleep, in which we can scarcely 
be said to live. The life we shall lead there will be one 
continued act of knowing, loving, and rejoicing, prais- 
ing, and obeying God. 



234 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

As for all good works, there will be none of those 
wherein we are now employed, to exercise our obedi- 
ence, nor shall we be in need of those things which 
now call for our charity to them or justice to ourselves. 
What shall works of mercy do in that world where there 
is no misery? How shall we visit the sick, where im- 
mortality and incorruption provide for a continual 
health? What hospitality shall we use there, where 
no poor inhabit nor strangers come? How shall we 
clothe the naked, where they are invested with a robe 
of the purest and most unspotted light ? What enemies 
shall we study to reconcile, where universal friendship 
reigns ? There will be no meat, no drink, no apparel 
or habitation to care for, where there is no hunger, 
thirst, and cold, or such like wants which now continu- 
ally pinch us. How incomparably great will that hap- 
piness be when v/e shall have no other employment but 
to be happy. 

Third, No serpent can creep into that Paradise to 
tempt and allure us from that great felicity, nor shall 
we be in any danger from our own flesh, nor find our- 
selves in a world where there will be anything to excite 
our desires, but what we may freely take the fullest 
satisfaction in. Our Saviour tells us that His faithful 
disciples, after He hath given them everlasting life, shall 
not die at all, no, not for the space of three days, though 
afterward they might rise again. But I have taken 
notice of one expression fuller than this ; for He has 
not only said that they shall not die nor taste of death, 
but that ^' they cannot die any more " (Luke xx. 36). 
There is no possibility after they have attained that 
life that they should die again, for they are equal to 
the angels, and are the children of God, being, by the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 235 

resurrection, begotten to an immortal life. Hence it is 
that the apostle calls this happy state by the name of 
immortality (2 Tim. i. 10) and incorrtiption (Rom. ii. 7), 
and says that our bodies shall be raised in incomiptiojt 
2ind put on immortality (i Cor. xv. 42-53), and bear the 
image of the heavenly Adam of our Lord in glory, who, 
we know, dies no more (verse 49). 

Innumerable ages shall never put a period to this 
eternal life ; but after they are all past, the whole man 
shall be as fresh and beautiful, without any sign of de- 
cay, as if it were but newly risen and had just then put 
on its purest robes of glorious light. Death being de- 
stroyed by Him who is the resurrection and the life, 
and who dies no more, an immortal soul shall inhabit 
an immortal body, and they shall be forever with the 
Lord. 

This vast circle of eternity cannot be measured by 
our thoughts, which are too short and narrow to com- 
pass an eternal duration. When we have done all we 
can, the best way, I think, to our satisfaction, will be 
to have recourse to a passage from the mouth of God 
Himself, wherein we must rest ourselves contented. It 
is in Rev. xxi. 7, where St. John was told by Him who 
sat upon the throne (verse 5), that '' He that shall over- 
come shall possess these things ; and I will be his God, 
and he shall be my son." The Lord of heaven and 
earth makes us a marvellously large grant in these 
words, so exceedingly full that we cannot desire it 
should run in more comprehensive terms. For by this 
promise He makes over to us all things ; we have an 
everlasting perpetual estate made to us in all things. 
Let us admire the goodness of God, and see how liberal 
He is of His bounties, when we are capable to receive 



236 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

them. Though He has said little to make us particu- 
larly understand the life of the next world, yet He has 
said very much to assure us that there is such a happy 
life. God Himself speaks concerning the promises of 
New Jerusalem : These words are faithful and true 
(Rev. xxi. 5). There is no deceit in these promises, no 
fraud in the drawing them up, nor any alteration in 
God's mind since they were made. Such is the unques- 
tionable credit of the zvords of eternal life, God Him- 
self had spoken them, and commanded us to believe 
them ; yea. He has said, we must account Him a liar, if 
we do not rely upon them. For tJiis, says St. John, is 
the testimony^ that God hath given to us eternal life ; 
and this life is in His Son. 

There being such a testimony, that is, \.\YdX Jesus is 
the Son of God, we have no reason to doubt of the eter- 
7ial life He promises ; but upon the very same grounds 
that we believe the one we ought to believe the other. 
If the Father, the Word, the Holy Ghost, and all other 
witnesses have proved the former by undeniable testi- 
monies, then, at the same time, they proved this also, 
that we shall live by Him. For it is evident that if 
Jesus was the Son of God, sent by Him in a special 
manner into the world to act in His stead, we are to be- 
lieve all that He says of Himself, or that others, by His 
commission and authority, have declared Him to be. 
Now, if we look into His Gospel we shall find that He 
most earnestly affirms Himself to have been before Abra- 
ham was (John viii. 58), and to have had a glory with 
God before the world zvas (Ibid. xvii. 5), and to be 07te 
with the FatJier, that the Father zvas in Him and He in 
the Father (John x. 30, 38). And they who were His 
inspired witnesses, whom He said He would send as 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 23/ 

the Father sent Him (Ibid, xxi, 21), and who were filled 
by Him with the Holy Ghost, declared Him to be God's 
Word, who ^' in the beginning was with God, and was 
God" (John i. 12), the image of the invisible God, the 
splendor of His glory, and the figure (that is, the ex- 
press image) of His substance; who in the beginning 
laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens were 
the works of His hands (Col. i. 15 ; Heb. i. 3, 10). From 
all which we may certainly conclude that He is not only 
the Son of God in regard of His authority, but by na- 
ture ; begotten of Him before all worlds^ of one substance 
with the Father. 

So that we may safely look upon the promises He 
makes us of eternal life, as the declarations of God's 
gracious will and pleasure, which shall undoubtedly be 
fulfilled. " No man indeed " (as St. John speaks, i. 18) 
" hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son who 
is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." 
For who could dive into God's mind, and tell us what 
was in His thoughts? What man could enter into 
His breast, and see v/hat was in His heart to do for us? 
None but His only begotten Son, who being in His 
bosom and acquainted with His most secret counsels, 
hath declared or expounded Him. 

All that I can apprehend remaining to be done, to 
giye a fuller certainty of these promises, is to make 
particular inquiry what every one of those witnesses 
which testify to Jesus, say on this point, that God hath 
given us eternal life, and that this life is in His Son. 



238 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



CONCERNING THE TESTIMONY OF THE FATHER. 

God the Father spoke three times from heaven by an 
audible voice, to testify to our Lord Jesus Christ. And 
if you examine again all that He has said you will find 
the following words recorded : He hath given us eternal 
life, and that this life is in His Son. 

It was by an audible voice from heaven that the 
angel of the Lord had called Abraham to tell him '' the 
Lord had sworn by Himself, that in his seed all the na- 
tions of the earth should be blessed" (Gen. xxii. 16, 
17, 18). And so now, to show us the seed was come 
who should be such a great benefactor to mankind, the 
Lord Himself speaks by a voice from heaven, declar- 
ing Jesus to be His Son, the author of that universal 
bliss He hath promised. Which tells us plainly enough 
that life is in Him ; (which St. John affirms upon this 
record) otherwise He would not be such a Son as He 
now declared Him, able to bless all Jiations ; who, it is 
manifest, had Him not for their visible leader, as the 
Israelites had Moses and Josue to give them a temporal 
inheritance ; and therefore were to have His spiritual 
divine benediction in another world, where He is the 
A iithor of eternal salvation to all that obey Him. 

Hear our Saviour's own interpretation of these 
words in that speech of His (John v. 26) : " For as the 
Father hath life in Himself, so He hath given to the 
Son also to have life in Himself." Here He teaches us 
to argue, that, if He be the Son of God, as this voice 
said He was, then He is by the same voice declared to 
have life in Himself; because the Father hath it so, and 
Him, His only Son perfectly resembles. Now God the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 239 

Father sealed and authorized Him to be the person to 
whom we must repair for " the meat that endureth unto 
everlasting life " (John vi. 27). He declared Him to be 
the bread of God, as He calls Himself, which gives life 
to the world (verse 33), the bread of life (verse 35), the 
living bread, which came down from heaven (verse 51), 
and nourishes to eternal life ; in short, that "whatsoever 
things the Father does, these the Son also does in like 
manner" (John v. 19). So that we need no more doubt 
of His ability than we do of God the Father to give 
eternal life to all His followers. 

When God the Father declared Himself to be well 
pleased in this dear Son, whom all Christians acknowl- 
edge for their Lord and Master, He tells us by this 
voice, that He will be reconciled to us. For John the 
Baptist seeing Jesus, a little after he had baptized Him, 
coming toward him, he cried out, " Behold the Lamb 
of God, who taketh away the sin of the world " (John 
i. 29) ; and again, the following day after this he point- 
ed two of his disciples unto Jesus, and said in part the 
very same words, behold the Lamb of God (verse 36). 

Now what is it to be the Lamb of God, but to be a 
sacrifice of God's own appointment, so pleasing and ac- 
ceptable to Him, that it obtains all ends for which it 
was offered ? and what is it to take away the sins of the 
world, but by overcoming all the temptations to which 
Adam yielded, and being obedient even to death, to 
restore us a right of entering Paradise again, from 
w^hence our sins have excluded us? to open the king- 
dom of heaven to all believers, by removing the flaming 
sword ; that is, taking those obstacles out of the way 
which debarred us from approaching the Tree of life ? 

Let us take a brief review of the second testimony 



240 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

of the Father to His well beloved Son, and we shall find 
the same thing recorded again, that He hath given us 
eternal life, and that this life is in His Son. 

The places are well known where these are recorded 
(in Matt, xvi.), and other evangelists who tell us that 
Jesus, being on a high mountain with three of His dis- 
ciples, was transfigured before them, and a voice came 
from heaven, which said, TJiis is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased ; hear Him, I shall only ob- 
serve the words now added to the voice formerly de- 
livered — they are these: Hear ye Him. Which are the 
very words Moses spoke to the children of Israel when 
he prophesied of the Messias and said : " Him thou 
shalt hear'' (Deut. xviii. 15). 

Now God, bidding the apostles hear Him, and Moses 
himself, whom they had hearkened all this while, being 
content that He should take His place, is an argument 
of something to be declared by Him that Moses had 
not spoken. And what should that be, but only the 
%vords of eternal life, which was but obscurely intimated 
and foreshadowed in the ancient Law, but by Him was 
preached so clearly and distinctly, that the voice of the 
heavens is not more audible? 

There is nothing that our Saviour preached so fre- 
quently, nothing upon which He insisted so long and 
earnestly, and took such pains to settle in men's minds, 
as this belief, that eternal life shall be the portion of all 
that do well. And therefore when God the Father 
bade them hear Him, who made it His principal busi- 
ness to publish these glad tidings to the world, it was 
the very same as if this voice had said in express words, 
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; be- 
lieve Him, He shall give you eternal life. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 241 

This is the commandment His Father gave Him (John 
xii. 50). This is the will of Him that sent Him (vi. 40). 
This is the promise which He hath promised to uSy eter- 
nal life (i John ii. 25). And therefore He stands en- 
gaged to bestow it, and we agree with Him for it when 
we enter into His service. 

To hear Moses was to embrace the covenant that God 
made them by him ; so we can understand no less by 
hearing the Son of God, than our entering into the nev/ 
covenant of which He is the mediator, which is founded 
upon better promises than the former, whereby we have 
a title to a celestial, not an earthly inheritance, whereof 
He is the Lord, and to which He has engaged Himself 
to be our conductor. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ being thus described in these 
books that are certainly divine, is the great prophet, in- 
deed, far greater than Moses, the author of a better ■ 
covenant, and of more divine promises, such as this of 
ETERNAL LIFE, which is the most agreeable for Him to 
bestow, whose kingdom was not in this world (as Mo- 
ses' was), but He reigns in the other world Lord of all 
for evermore. 

We shall now pass to the third testimony which God 
the Father had given to His Son ; and it is a very ex- 
press record of this truth, that we have eternal life, and 
that it is in His Son. It is recorded in the twelfth chap- 
ter of St. John (verse 28), where upon our Saviour's re- 
quest to God that He would glorify His own name, a 
voice from heaven gave this answer : " I have both 
glorified it, and will glorify it again." God's name was 
glorified by glorifying His Son, as appears from John 
xi. 4. And so St. Cyril of Alexandria observed long 
ago : Whether the Scripture be, g'orify Thy Son, or 
II 



242 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

glorify Thy name^ it is all one in exact contemplation 
of things. 

Now, if the truth of these words be thoroughly ex- 
amined, how He glorified Hiuz, and how He ivoidd 
glorify Him again, we shall meet in both a plain testi- 
mony that Eternal Life is in His Son to bestow upon us. 
Let us consider them briefly apart. God glorified Him 
by His Transfiguration : " They saw His glory " (Luke 
ix. 32). And by this glory which they saw the Father 
testified He should be made glorious in heaven, and 
able to make us so. 

''He manifested forth His glory " (John ii. 1 1), and 
the multitude v/ere excited by them to magnify Him 
with hosannas, and to cry out glory in the highest 
(Luke xix. 37, 38). 

His third glorification was His raising Lazarus from 
the dead. By this Jesus said expressly that glory 
should redound to God the Father, and that He, the 
Son of God, should also be glorified thereby (John xi. 4). 
For this very end Lazarus fell sick that there might be 
a fit opportunity by the miraculous resurrection of so 
noted a person, and to make it known that He assumed 
not more glory to Himself than God the Father gave 
Him. This was a very great testimony from God, that 
indeed life was in Him, and that He did not vainly call 
Himself the resurrection and life (verse 25), because He 
now vvith His almighty word restored one to life who 
had been dead four days. 

Hereby He declared that " as the Father hath life in 
Himself, so He hath given to the Son also to have life 
in Himself" (John v. 26), and in verses 28, 29, " Won- 
der not at this (power of the Son of God), for the hour 
Cometh wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 243 

voice of the Son of God." They might well believe it, 
because He said it who proved Himself to be the Truth 
by such works as none could do but He that was the 
Life. 

The Father not only said that He had glorified Him, 
but that He would glorify Him again, which was done 
also at tJiree different times. 

First. At His deaths " the graves were opened, and 
many bodies of the saints that had slept arose " (Matt, 
xxvii. 52). For the very rocks rent, and the earth did 
quake, and the veil of the Temple was rent in two from 
the top even to the bottom, and the sun refused to give 
its light ; and such an amazement came upon the cen- 
turion, who was then upon the guard, that he glorified 
God by confessing that Jesus was a just man (Luke xxiii. 
47). The very opening of the graves served to adorn 
the triumph He was about to make over the powers of 
darkness ; being a sign that He had now despoiled him 
who hath the power of death, who is the devil, and that 
He had life in Himself^ and will give it to us, especially 
now that He hath finished His triumph, and i?, glorified 
at God's right hand, of which the rending of the veil 
also was no obscure token, showing that " we have con- 
fidence (liberty) to enter into the Holies by the blood 
of Christ" (Heb. X. 19). 

Second. God the Father glorified Him at His Resur- 
rection, which was attended with the resurrection of the 
dead bodies of those saints whose graves were opened 
at His death (Matt, xxvii. 52, 53), and then He was 
lifted up from the earth in another more noble sense 
than He had before upon the cross. Then the angels 
came in bright array to testify to Him what He had 
said of Himself, that God having been glorified in Him^ 



244 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

had glorified Him in Himself (John xlli. 31, 32). This 
was a very glorious testimony that indeed He hath Life 
in Himself, and shall be the author of eternal life to us. 
And therefore He is called the Prince (or author) of life 
(Acts iii. 15), because by that which overcame death (His 
resurrection) we know Him to be life, and the Son of 
the living God (St. Cyril). 

Third, Christ's exaltation by God's own right hand 
to the throne of glory in the heavens, was another act 
whereby God glorified Him. This He prayed for with 
the greatest ardency and assured expectation, because 
God the Father " had given Him power over all flesh, 
that He might give eternal life to all whom God had 
given Him" (John xvii. I, 2). 

God gave Him authority to lay claim to the highest 
power of bestowing immortality ; which power when 
God the Father had actually put into His hands ac- 
cording to Christ's prayer and His own promise (of 
which He could not fail, having engaged Himself before 
a multitude to glorify Hi7n), then " being consummated 
He became to all that obey Him, the cause (author) of 
eternal salvation " (Heb. v. 9). Then ^' He was made a 
priest forever'' (Ibid. vii. 16, 17), not according to law 
of a carnal commandment, but according to the power 
of an indissoluble life," " Whereby He is able also to 
save forever them that come to God by Him : always 
living to make intercession for us" (verse 25). He can 
raise us up, and all that succeed us, as well as He did 
Lazarus, in whom He gave only a little taste of His 
power to give us life that shall never die. 

God made good His promise, in the audience of both 
friends and strangers, even at His death ; after which 
He raised Him out of His grave, and lifted Him up far 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 245 

above all heavens, that He may be glorified once more 
(Thess. i. 10) by raising us up from the dead, and pro- 
moting us to eternal glory with Himself. 



CONCERNING THE TESTIMONY OF THE WORD, 
THE SECOND WITNESS IN HEAVEN. 

From God the Father, this eternal Word came down 
and was incarnate, not only to reveal His will, but to 
die for our sins and to seal what He had preached with 
His blood. After which God raised Him from the 
dead, and set Him at His own right hand in heaven; 
from whence He testified as loudly that He hath in 
Him eternal life for us, as He did that He is the Son 
of God. This witness, therefore, let us now examine. 

St. Stephen being full of the Holy Ghost, and look- 
ing up steadfastly to heaven, " saw the heavens opened, 
and beheld the glory of God, and Jesus standing at His 
right hand " (Acts vii. 55, 56). There is not the least 
reason, then, to question but that this holy man beheld 
the glory of God and Jesus the Lamb standing at His 
right hand. We may clearly see in this vision both the 
things that St. John here asserts, viz., that eternal life 
is in Jesus the Son of God, to give to those that effect- 
ually believe in His name. 

The power wherewith He is invested to give eternal 
life, is visible from His standing at God's right hand ; 
which denotes His omnipotent virtue to effect what He 
pleases. For by the right hand of God, Jesus Him- 
self was exalted to the hand of power, as you read 
(Acts ii. 33 ; v. 31), and therefore being placed there, it 
signifies that He can do for us what God had done for 



246 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Him, that is, exalt us to the like glory in heaven where 
He is. And so St. Stephen understood it ; for as they 
were stoning him (the greatest punishment the Jews 
could inflict) he called upon our Saviour, saying, " Lord 
Jesus, receive my spirit " (Acts vii. 59). With these 
words in his mouth, he could have died, but that he 
pitied those who did not see as much as he did — which 
made him expire in prayer for his persecutors ; wishing 
them no worse than that they might not be hindered 
by this sin from believing in Jesus, and going thither 
where he hoped presently to be received. 

One of the principal actors in this bloody tragedy 
was presently after so miraculously touched from heav- 
en, that it was visible our Lord had heard the devout 
prayer of His martyr in this particular; and therefore 
had not denied his request, but received his spirit also 
unto Himself. 

St. Paul, who, travelling towards Damascus in a burn- 
ing rage and fury, and with a sharp commission against 
Christians, was suddenly surprised by a great light from 
heaven ; and beheld that Jesus, whom he no more 
thought to be glorious, than he did the thieves that 
were crucified with Him, presenting Himself and dis- 
tinctly speaking to him in such a splendid manner, that 
" he fell down to the ground and could not see for the 
brightness of that light " (Acts xxii. 7-1 1). Now if the 
vision be considered, you will find that it contains this 
truth, that Jesus is possessed of eternal life to give 
unto us, as well as that He is the Son of God. For the 
light in which he beheld Him far exceeded the splen- 
dor of the sun at noonday (Acts xxvi. 13), which 
plainly declared Him to be the King of glory, clothed 
with the majesty of God, and possessed of a heavenly 



TUE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 247 

kingdom ; and therefore able to give eternal life to His 
servants. How should He come in such a robe of 
light ? How should He appear thus, first to St. Stephen 
and now to St. Paul, if He had no power to do what 
He pleased ? And, therefore, St. Paul is told by our 
Lord, at this very time when he saw Him in such maj- 
esty, that he should be a witness of what he had seen. 

And the thing which St. Paul witnessed, was that 
*' Jesus was over all things, God blessed forever " (Rom. 
ix. 5), and had sent him to preach the resurrection and 
eternal life (Acts xiii. 46, and xvii. 18). He heard 
Him also say that He would bestow this celestial in- 
heritance upon us, even us Gentiles, and which he but 
once mentioned to his countrymen, they were ready to 
tear him to pieces (Acts xxii. 21, 22). And yet he re- 
ports this for a certain truth, from the mouth of Jesus 
Himself (as he relates this glorious vision to Agrippa, 
a prince well skilled in the Law), who bade him go unto 
the Gentiles " to open their eyes, that they may be con- 
verted from darkness to light, and from the power of 
Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of 
sins" (Ibid. xxvi. 17, 18). And accordingly he went 
and preached everywhere, in obedience to this heavenly 
vision, the doctrine of the resurrection and eternal life, 
" witnessing both to small and great," as the prophets 
had foretold, " that Christ should suffer, and should be the 
first that should rise from, the dead and show light to 
the people (of Israel) and to the Gentiles " (verses 22, 
23). This light which we have by Christ's sufferings 
and rising from the dead, can be nothing else but the 
blessed hope of immortality. This St. John tells us is 
the light of mankind : '' In Him was life, and the life 
was the light of men " (i. 4). St. Paul endeavored to 



248 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

fill the world with this light, that they might all know- 
how much they were indebted to Jesus Christ, who 
brought life and immortality to light by His Gospel. 
And therefore for his zeal in the service of the Lord 
Jesus, he was favored by Him in this world above our 
mortal condition, and transported into the Third Heaven^ 
and another time " into Paradise ; where he saw visions 
and heard words, which it is not granted to man to 
utter" (2 Cor. xii. 3, 4). This was a further confirma- 
tion which the eternal Word gave of His power to give 
eternal life, and of His intention to take us up unto 
Himself. 

Behold here the glory of the Christian religion, 
whose Author is so highly exalted, that He exalts this 
minister of His far above the greatest persons in for- 
mer times. The translation of Elias out of this world 
is everywhere celebrated as a wonder. But how far he 
went, no revelation has explained. But the translation 
of St. Paul was far more illustrious and famous, the 
very place being noted to which he was carried almost 
half-way to the highest heavens of all. Let the Jews 
hereafter cease to pride themselves in the honor that 
was done to Moses ; who alone went up to the top of 
Mount Sinai, and was in the midst of the clouds and 
darkness which appeared there. St. Paul, instead of a 
mountain, ascended into heaven, and instead of a cloud 
was carried beyond the air that is above the clouds, and 
very fitly, for it became a man of Christ to outstrip 
Moses as much as the Old Law was excelled by the 
Gospel that St. Paul preached, which he calls : " The 
mystery which hath been hidden from ages and genera- 
tions, but now is manifested to His saints, to whom 
God would make known the riches of the glory of this 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 249 

mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ, in you the 
hope of glory" (Col. i. 26, 27). 

Let us now pass to the third testimony which the 
Word gave of this truth to St. John, who, as he is the 
only person that expounds the eternal subsistence with- 
out any beginning of God the Word, and His genera- 
tion of the Father before all worlds, so hath gathered 
here together more clearly than any of the rest all the 
evidences and grounds of the Christian faith, and also 
received the most full and pregnant demonstrations of 
what he has particularly recorded concerning eter^ial life 
in the Son of God. 

Our blessed Lord (the Word made flesh) declared His 
power to do what He pleased by taking to Himself that 
very name and title whereby God the Father Almighty 
sometimes revealed Himself to the prophets. You read in 
Isaias (xli. 4 and xliv. 6), The Lord, the King of Israel 
and His Redeemer, saith, 1 am the first and I am the 
last, which is the very same with those words : / am 
Alpha and Omega (Rev. i. 8), the begin7iing and the end, 
saith the Lord, etc. — those two being the names of the 
first and the last letters in the Greek alphabet. 

When the Almighty calls Himself the first and the 
last. He either declares that He is eternal who gave be- 
ing to all things, and remains after they are all dead 
and gone, or else that He is immutable, from first to last 
constant to Himself and His promises. 

It is true, indeed, says He (verse 17), / a^n the first 
and the last — that is, I am invested with all the power of 
God, bearing His name and authority. If our Lord 
had stopped here and said no more, thfs had been suf- 
ficient to convince Him of His power of raising His 
Church (for which He had suffered and laid the founda- 
II* 



250 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

tion of it in His own blood) to eternal glory in the 
other world. But He proceeds for the stronger con- 
firmation of His faith, and says, '^ Behold " more than 
this, " I am living forever and ever, and have the keys 
of death and of hell " (verse i8). Fear not ; these words 
are all true, and therefore I conclude them with an 
amen. 

But for a fuller evidence that Life is in Jesus Christ, 
and that He intends to bestow it on us, you may consider 
in the last place the testimony of the Word of God to 
St. John in the following letters to the seven churches 
in Asia. To one He saith : " I will give to him that 
overcometh to eat of the tree of life which is in the para- 
dise of my God " (Rev. ii. f). To another : " I will give 
him the crown of life, and he shall not be hurt by the 
second death " (verses lo, li). To a third, " I will give 
him the hidden manna," etc. (verse 17). To another: 
*' He shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not 
blot out his name out of the book of life, and I will 
confess his name before my Father, and before His an- 
gels" (iii. 5). And to name no more, He promises to 
him that shall overcome, to sit zuith Him in His throne 
(verse 21), where He will crown the fidelity of all vic- 
torious souls with the greatest glory and honor. 

"These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true 
witness, who is the beginning of the creation of God " 
(Ibid. iii. 14). -^ 

By the name of Amen, which He gives Himself, He 
would have us understand that by Him all the promises 
made to the Church shall undoubtedly be fulfilled, ac- 
cording to that of St. Paul : " For all the promises of 
God are in Him. // is, therefore, also by Him, amen 
to God unto our glory " (2 Cor. i. 20). How can we 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 25 1 

doubt Him, for He is a zuitness, who affirms and testi- 
fies nothing but the very truth, which can never fail, 
because He is the efficient cause of all things, by whom 
they were at first created, and by whom mankind is now 
repaired, and therefore is the Head of all creatures, es- 
pecially of all Christians, who shall rise again from the 
dead to immortal life. 

What may we not expect from so great a Prince, 
who has such an absolute command over all things? 
And why should we doubt of His sovereignty, who ap- 
peared in such an amazing splendor to St. John, and 
proclaimed such supereminent glory of His majesty ? 
or why should we question His truth, who had ap- 
proved Himself so many ways the true and faithful wit- 
ness, especially by sending the Holy Ghost to bear wit- 
ness to Him, according to His promise? We ought to 
rely upon His word, whose power appeared from His 
very first entrance into the world, to be so far trans- 
cending all creatures, that the apostles might see before 
His ascension to the glory wherein St. John beheld 
Him, that as He had the words of eternal life so He had 
that Life in Himself, which in due time He would be- 
stow upon them. 



CONCERNING THE TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY GHOST, 
THE THIRD WITNESS IN HEAVEN. 

The Holy Ghost, the third person of the blessed 
Trinity, assures us that we have eternal life in Jesus 
Christ, as He did that Jesus is the Son of God, 

At our Saviour's baptism the divine glory came down 
from heaven, and rested on Him in the sight of John 



252 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

the Baptist, who thereby was persuaded that this was the 
Messias, the King of Israel. And by carefully inquir- 
ing into it, we shall find it as clear a witness that it is 
in His power to give eternal life to all His faithful sub- 
jects. 

You read that He was ''anointed with the Holy 
Ghost and with power " (Acts x. 38), the unction being a 
ceremony whereby kings were created. Now His king- 
dom was not of this zuorld, as He professed, and yet He 
constantly asserted that He was a King, and exercised 
acts of royal authority. We must conclude that by this 
unction He was designed to be a King in heaven. 
There is no reason to doubt it, for \.\\q glory of the Lord 
which descended on Him was the seal or crozvn of God 
upon Him, which marked Him to be the Lord of glory, 
from whom we may expect the blessing of eternal life. 

'' The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him " (Isaias 
xi. 2). So it did upon our Saviour, in whom all the 
fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily, and therefore He 
must needs have life in Himself, and out of His fulness, 
as St. John speaks, we may expect to receive grace for 
grace. 

Having all these divine gifts mentioned in Isaias (xi.), 
viz.: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowl- 
edge, -d^x^A godliness, to qualify Him for this high office: 
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke iv. 18, 
19), which were evident demonstrations that the Spirit 
of the Lord rested on Him, and made Him the greatest 
prophet that ever was, not only the Preacher, but the 
Giver of eternal life. 

When the apostles on the day of Pentecost were 
baptized with the Holy Ghost, then the heavens poured 
down such a large shower of divine grace that it over- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 253 

flowed the world with a comfortable sense of eternal 
life. This descent of the Holy Ghost witnessed to our 
Saviour, and openly showed Him to the world as the 
Prince of life (Acts iii. 15). 

Consider that the miraculous change which was 
wrought on a sudden in the minds of very ignorant 
men, is an evident argument what He can do for our 
souls in the other world. He inspired them with such 
understanding by the power of the Holy Ghost that the 
greatest doctors in Israel were not able to resist the 
wisdom whereby they spoke. They understood all the 
ancient prophecies ; the Holy Ghost made them see 
the whole mystery which was wrapped up in them. 
And this knowledge being accompanied with a mighty 
power whereby the Holy Ghost enabled them not only 
to give eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, health to 
the sick, but life also to the dead, was an undoubted 
testimony that He from whom it came is able also to 
*' change these vile bodies and make them like to His 
own most glorious body." 

Our Lord declared He would send the Holy Ghost 
for this very purpose, that they might believe the rest 
of His holy promises : particularly this great one of 
eternal life, which is the meaning of that which you 
read in St. John (xiv. 12), and in verses 9, 10, 11. And 
as a further proof of this, we must observe once more 
that the Holy Ghost gave its testimony of the life that 
is in Jesus, and shall be given unto us, when it fell 
down upon other believers as it had done upon the 
apostles. It was a great wonder to hear the apostles 
speak with tongues ; to see them cure the lame, and 
restore sight to the blind; nay, to raise the dead to 
life. But it was a greater wonder to see other illiterate 



254 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Christians receive the same gifts by the laying on of 
their hands, and invocation of the name of the Lord 
Jesus, who presently filled them with the Holy Ghost. 

What ! shall an ignorant seaman be made a prophet, 
and speak with all tongues? A poor tent-maker un- 
lock mysteries, and compose spiritual songs and hymns ? 
A man that yesterday could mend nothing but his 
nets, now cure a man of a bloody flux? A rude soldier 
command devils, and storm his strongholds more easily 
than a town without walls? Lord, what light is this, 
might they justly say, which shines in our dungeon? 
What power is this wherewith we see frail flesh armed? 
This surely signifies that men are very dear to God, or 
else He would not dwell among them. 

And after the Jews, who quarrelled at St. Peter's 
preaching to the Gentiles, were satisfied that the Holy 
Ghost was fallen upon them, even as upon themselves, 
they had no more to say but this : " God then hath also 
to the Gentiles given repentance unto life " (Acts xi. 
1 8). This they looked upon as the beginning of God's 
favor and loving-kindness to them, which would con- 
clude in nothing less than eternal life, of which we are 
discoursing. 

And St. John, after he had put the disciples in mind 
of the unction they had received, and exhorted them 
to continue in that doctrine which it taught, immedi- 
ately adds that, *' this is the promise which He hath 
promised us, life everlasting '* (i John ii. 20, 24, 25). 

Before 1- pass to the other tJiree witnesses on earth, 
let all those who have taken the pains to read thus far 
this treatise be so kind to themselves as to recollect 
what they have read, and in their quiet thoughts to put 
themselves often in mind that the Father hath said this 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 255 

to be true by a voice from heaven at several times : 
when Jesus was baptized ; when He was upon the Holy 
Mount, and before a multitude of people, He testified 
that eternal life is in Him. The Word also has shown 
us this glorious state when He appeared to St. Stephen, 
to St. Paul, and to' His beloved St. John, who have 
communicated their knowledge to us, and told us that 
He assured them He lives, and that we shall live by 
Him. The Holy Ghost, likewise, hath declared this, 
by coming down upon Him, and upon His apostles, 
and upon His faithful ones. And then their faith would 
be immovable, did they ponder these things ; they 
would never call it into dispute, after such demonstra- 
tions, whether there be another life or no. Yea, they 
themselves would become immovable, and steadfast, and 
abundant in the work of our Lord ; because the very 
same witnesses tell them that this is the only way to 
eternal happiness, which cannot be compassed by any 
means but by patient continuance in well-doing. 

Jesus Christ is certainly in heaven ; He sits at the 
right hand of the Majesty on high ; He wishes we 
would be espoused to Him ; He will settle an eternal 
inheritance upon us. And He only requires us to re- 
tire seriously into ourselves, and there often meet with 
Him ; to hear and obey those He has placed to rule us; 
to live soberly, righteously, and godly, while we are in 
the world ; to let no company draw us from His pre- 
cepts, nor suffer any creature to rob Him of our affec- 
tion. Let us, with honest hearts, beg the assistance of 
the Holy Ghost for the attaining of such a glorious life 
w^ith our Saviour. 



2$6 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 



CONCERNING THE WITNESSES ON EARTH ; AND FIRST, 

OF THE WATER. 

You have seen already how many there are that 
solicit our affections and persuade us to believe in the 
Lord Jesus, and heartily consent to Him in whatso- 
ever He requires. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 
have commended Him to us as the Prince of peace, 
and the Lord of glory. For as if these witnesses were 
not sufficient there are t/iree more (water, blood, and 
spirit), whose witness none could ever deny, that speak 
the very same thing, and affirm it as strongly as the 
other, t/iat God hath given to us eterjtal life^ and this life 
is in His Son. 

By water we are to understand that purity of Christ's 
doctrine and life ; or else His baptism, by which He 
appeared to be the Son of God. Let us now consider 
what they say to the point in hand. 

The doctrine of Christ naturally lifts up the mind to- 
ward heaven, and disposes those that embrace it to 
look for eternal life, for which it is but a preparation. 
For it teaches us to abstract our hearts from this flesh 
wherewith we are clothed, and from this world wherein 
we live, as unworthy of that care which we are apt to 
bestow upon them ; in short, the very intent and pur- 
pose of it is to render us something like God Himself. 
What can any man make of this, but that it is a prepa- 
ration for another life? Take a review of that compen- 
dium which I have drawn of this doctrine, and you will 
be satisfied that it is nothing else but a contrivance to 
make us heavenly, whereby we shall live as men of an- 
other world and not of this. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 2$/ 

His heavenly doctrine teaches us, if His service re- 
quires it, to deny ourselves even in the most innocent 
and lawful enjoyments of this life ; to forsake father 
and mother, and houses and lands for His name's sake ; 
yea, to lay down our very lives rather than forsake His 
doctrine and violate His commands. These are ex- 
press lessons which His sermons teach His disciples ; 
but are things so sublime, so much above the reach of 
flesh and blood, that it would be the greatest absurdity 
that can be imagined to propose them to men's observ- 
ance W'ithout the hope of something in another life to 
reward such hard services. 

He would have had no followers on these terms, had 
He not made it evident as the rest of His doctrine that 
He would be the Author of eternal salvation to them 
that would obey Him. Men were not so fond of tor- 
ments and death as to expose themselves to the danger 
of them if they had not seen the greatest reason to be- 
lieve that their Master would recompense their present 
sufferings with a future happiness. If He had not held 
this truth in His hands as clear as the sun, that they 
w4io would follow Him should be immortally happy. 
He might have stretched them out long enough before 
He had drawn so much as one follower after Him. The 
trees would as soon have followed Him as men, who 
would never have stirred a foot in such a narrow path 
unless He had shown them plainly that it led to ever- 
lasting life. 

His doctrine of eternal life is constantly intermixed 
with all His sermons. It is the very strain of His 
preaching, that if any man would follow Him, and do 
as He did, he should find rest for his soul ; and that 
God the Father would honor those who did Him ser- 



258 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

vice (John xll. 26). This He proclaims in the clearest 
manner: "I am the light of the world" (John viii. 12); 
{Illuminator et dediictor humani generis, as Tertullian ex- 
cellently expresses it), the enlightener and the con- 
ductor or guide of mankind : " He that follows me shall 
have the light of life "; and let it be noted how He 
proclaims this to every man, '' that whosoever believ- 
eth in Him, may not perish, but may have life everlast- 
ing. For God so loved the world, as to give His only 
begotten Son ; that whosoever believeth in Him, may 
not perish, but may have life everlasting" (Ibid. iii. 15, 
16). And He asserts it with the strongest and most 
vehement asseverations. *' Amen, amen I say unto 
you, he that believeth in me, hath everlasting life " 
(John vi. 47). God had sealed Him (Ibid. vi. 27), where- 
by all might see that He was the author of everlasting 
life. And He repeats this doctrine a great many times 
in that chapter (verses 33, 35, 39, 40, 47, 48, 51, 52, 
54, 57). Insomuch that St. Peter concludes at the 
latter end of that sermon there was no master compa- 
rable to Him, who had the words of eternal life. " I am 
from above, I am not of this world " (John viii. 23). 
"I speak that which I have seen with my Father" 
(verse 38) and (verse 42): "I came not of myself, but 
He sent me." 

For which reason He does not discourse of immortal 
life as a philosopher, going about to prove it, by rea- 
sons and arguments, but only asserts it as one that had 
divine authority. His own holy life in strict obedience 
to God, was free from all blame, and it had a strong 
force in it to persuade us, that He indeed sought 
eternal glory, and was fully assured He should be pos- 
sessed of it, for Himself and all His. Ask YV\'=> poverty 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 259 

and humility, and they will tell you that He sought for 
the glory of God only. Inquire of His charity and 
bounty, and they will bear testimony that all fulness is 
in Him. Examine His labors and pains, His travels 
and journeys, trace His steps over sea and land ; and 
they all will confess that He sought a heavenly country. 
Ask Him what He meant by Yi'i?, patie^ice,. His willing 
endurance of all reproaches, calumnies, hatreds, perse- 
cutions, and they will, likewise, conclude in the sam.e 
testimony, that He had "3. joy set before Him, which made 
Him despise them all. In short, consult His fasting 
forty days ; His enduring so many temptations of the 
devil, fighting his offers, rejecting his counsels ; and you 
have no account of them but this, that He had indeed 
the meat that endures to everlasting life ; that He verily 
believed the voice from heaven, which said He was the 
Son of God ; and that He knew He had a greater glory 
than all the kingdoms of which the devil offered Him. 

All that nation who persecuted our Saviour held 
John the Baptist for a prophet, and went to be bap- 
tized by him. The wisest of them dare not affirm that 
his commission ^2.'^ from men, but rather that he under- 
took this office by a.uth.onty from heaven, upon which 
account they were bound to receive his testimony con- 
cerning our Saviour as unquestionable ; which they 
themselves clearly discerned to be a good consequence ; 
and, therefore, would not reason this matter out with 
our Saviour, but let it fall to the ground, when they 
themselves had begun the dispute. 

Now he testified as plainly that by Him we shall 
have eternal life, as he had that He is the Son of God 
(see Matt. iii. 2-12) ; and still more expressly He says : 
" He that believeth in the Son, hath life everlasting " 



26o THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

(John iii. 36), and " he that believeth not the Son, shall 
not see life." 

The Jews expected an universal Baptism and cleans- 
ing of the people. Now the very end and intention of 
Christ's baptism was, it is very well known, for the re- 
mission of sins, and consequently for eternal life. This 
He taught. men to believe, and then authorized His 
disciples to receive men to these high and noble privi- 
leges, by baptizing them in His name. Men were 
marvellously enlightened, renewed, and transformed by 
this Baptism, and holy men doubted not to call it the 
zvater of salvation, the water of life, and the immortal 
nativity (St. Cyprian, Epist. ad Donatum). Nay, St. 
Augustine informs us, that the Punic Christians called 
baptism by no other name than salvation. 

And for this they had the authority of our Saviour, 
who said after He was risen from the dead, '' He that 
believeth and Is baptized, shall be saved " (Mark xvi. 
16), and showed St. John '' a river of water of life, clear 
as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of 
the Lamb, in the midst of the street of the new Jeru- 
salem " (Rev. xxli. I, 2). And He calls His baptism 
the water of life, because It runs thither, and there we 
begin to live, and are admitted to the friendship of 
God, and put In assured hope that the life which then 
begins shall be continued to eternal life. 

All the ancient Fathers held that baptism was a 
public profession of the hope of Immortality ; and a 
seal also of the promise of God to the whole Church, 
both the living and the dead, who as often as baptism 
was repeated, had an open assurance given them from 
God, that they were now born to spiritual life and that 
they should also rise again to everlasting life. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 261 

I shall dismiss this first witness on earth, which is to 
be regarded by us as very considerable ; and cannot be 
denied by those who cavil at some of the other. For 
all men acknov/ledge the life and doctrine of our Sav- 
iour to be incomparably excellent ; and John the Bap- 
tist stands upon record in Josephus for a person of 
severe and strict sanctity, and the whole Christian 
Church believed thus from the beginning; as appears 
by their holy profession which they made when they 
entered into the gates of the Church by Baptism. 



CONCERNING THE TESTIMONY OF THE BLOOD, 
THE SECOND WITNESS ON EARTIL 

The next witness is the Testimony of the Blood, by 
which we are to understand the crucifixion and death of 
the Lord Jesus. 

The stubborn Jews who will be loth to grant that a 
voice from heaven declared Him the Son of God, can- 
not deny that their forefathers imbrued their hands in 
His Blood. It is apparent that to lay down His life 
was an act perfectly voluntary in our Saviour. He 
might have chosen whether He would have died or not, 
for no man (as He said, John x. 18) could take His life 
away ; openly professing, I have pozver to lay it down^ 
and I have pozver to take it up again. Now, He that 
saved others (Matt, xxvii. 42) could surely have saved 
Himself, if His will had otherwise resolved. He that 
raised Lazarus from the dead could have more easily 
stricken all His opposers dead at His feet, if it had 
been His pleasure. 

What could move Him so tamely, like a lamb, to 



262 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

give His throat to the bloody knife, and to hang so 
meekly upon an infamous cross, if it were not the con- 
templation of an eternal life which He knew He should 
obtain by His obedience to God, and bearing witness 
to the truth ? 

The circumstance of His death is a plain declaration 
that He was no impostor. For it stands upon good 
record that He Himself knew of His death beforehand, 
and foretold it, with the manner of it, and yet was so 
far from endeavoring to avoid it, that He went of His 
own accord to the place where He knew they would 
come to apprehend Him. In His way to His Passion 
YIq fell ifito an agony ^ which declared how much nature 
was against His proceeding. Such terrible apprehen- 
sions as then presented themselves, would have made 
Him take the opportunity of the night, and consult 
for His safety if He had been a deceiver, and not very 
well assured that this was the way to everlasting life. 
Now it is as manifest as the sun, that, if He knew Him- 
self to be an impostor. He could have no hope that 
God would raise Him up again ; and it is as manifest 
on the other hand that, if He did not rise again, there 
was no hope that His apostles would preach Him, be- 
cause He had proved Himself a liar; and His name 
would have been buried in silence, or else remembered 
with reproach; Himself having blasted it, by failing in 
the performance of His word. 

I shall consider only one thing more that comforted 
our Saviour and supported His spirit upon the cross. 
Was it the hopes He had to be magnified everywhere 
by His disciples when He was dead and gone, for a man 
of an invincible spirit? No; He comforted Himself 
with the thoughts of His own integrity; He humbly 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 263 

addressed Himself in prayer to God, to whom He com- 
mends His spirit, and breathed out His soul in a knowl- 
edge that He would receive it, and glorify Him in 
heaven. He lifted up His eyes thither, as St. John 
testifies, and said : " Father, the hour is come ; glorify 

Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee I have 

glorified Thee on earth ; I have finished the work which 
Thou gavest me to do ; and now glorify Thou me, O 
Father, with Thyself, with the glory which I had be- 
fore the world was " (Johnxvii. 1,45). And when the 
moment of His departure was come, and He was just 
expiring on the cross. He cried with a loud voice, that 
all might hear Him, Father, into Thy hands I commend 
my spirit, and having thus said, He gave up the ghost. 

He saw how loth His disciples were to part with 
Him, and with what sad countenances and troubled 
spirits they received the news. He was encompassed 
with sighs and groans when He did but mention it ; 
iox sorrow {2.S He s'p&sks) filled their hearts (John xvi. 
6) ; would not this have moved a heart less tender than 
His? How could He endure to see their tears flow so 
fast, if He had not been sure that He was going, as 
He told them, to His Father, to prepare a place for them, 
which ought to have made them rejoice rather than 
weep, because He would come again, and receive them 
to Himself, that where He was, there they might be 
also (John xiv. I, 2, 3, 28)? 

He earnestly desired them to look upon His Blood as 
the seal of a new covenant between God and men. So 
He said, just before His death : " This is my blood of 
the New Testament which shall be shed for many unto 
the remission of sins " (Matt. xxvi. 28). 

You read in Tim. ii. 6, "■ He gave Himself a redemp- 



264 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

tion for all." That is, He became the price of our 
redemption, and like the Paschal Lamb, His blood 
saves us from the destroyer, and assures us that God 
will bring us to eternal rest. 

Well might St. Paul call Him our Pasch, that is, sac- 
rificed for us. For it is visible that He was slain for 
the salvation of mankind as the Paschal Lamb was slain 
for the preservation of Israel ; and that as the destroy- 
ing angel passed over those houses where he found the 
blood of that Lamb upon the door-posts, and spared 
the lives of the inhabitants; so all those souls that are 
sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, shall be delivered by 
Him from perishing, and preserved to eternal life. 

Now our Saviour made good His promise which He 
had made, that He would give them His flesJi to eat. He 
gave them also His very blood to drink-; which was the 
price of their redemption, that which saved them from 
the destroyer, and overcame those enemies which op- 
posed their entrance into the eternal rest. " For His 
fl-^sh is meat indeed ; and His blood is drink indeed " 
(John vi. 56). That is the most perfect food which has 
power to give (not a temporary, as the Paschal Lamb 
did, but) an eternal life. 



CONCERNING THE TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT, 
THE THIRD WITNESS ON EARTH. 

The testimony of the Spirit is the last and greatest 
argument which St. John here produces (verse 6), for 
the Spirit is the truth ; an infallible witness, which can- 
not deceive you, that Jesus is the Son of God. And so 
it is likewise, that eternal life is in Him ; and that we 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 265 

shall enjoy it by His means ; for this testimony of God 
is given to make us sure of the one, as we are of the 
other. 

Let us weigh those words of St. John in his Gospel 
(xx. 30, 31), where he tells us that he wrote the '' signs 
which Jesus did (after His resurrection) in the presence 
of His disciples, that they might believe that Jesus was 
the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing they 
might have life in His name." They were wrought by 
Him, and recorded by His disciples, that the world 
might be convinced He was the great Lord of all ; and 
that they might, by faithful subjection to Him, look 
for eternal life from His omnipotent love. For by these 
He manifested His glory (John ii. 11), and declared to 
the world He could work as great a change upon our 
mortal bodies as He did then upon the water, making 
them as much nobler than they are now, as the water 
excelled itself when it was become wine. They were 
mighty instances of His power, and of His goodness, 
too. And they were a plain demonstration of His 
power to give eternal life to all His followers. (Read 
John vi. 38, 39, 40; iii. 16; ix. 33; x. 37, 38; xiv. lo; 
XV. 24.) Our Saviour tells the obstinate Jews it was not 
such a marvellous thing that a dead man should be 
raised up by Him, if they considered, which was far 
more wonderful, that He was the Person who would 
one day call mankind out of their graves, and give unto 
the good the resurrection of life (John v. 28, 29). For 
proof of which He reminds them of His miraculous 
works (verse 36), which testified God had sent Him, 
and would verify all that He said. And thereupon He 
exhorts them to search the Scriptures, for you think ift 
them to have life everlasting ; and the same are they that 
12 



266 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

gave testimony of me (verse 39). And y on will not come 
to me that you may have life (verse 40). Which was as 
much as to say, you all look for eternal life^ and you 
hope in the Holy Scriptures to find it. I wish you 
would be more diligent in perusing them, for they show 
plainly that I am He who must bring you to it. But 
this is the misery of your condition, that neither my 
zvorksj nor the Scriptures, nor the testimony of John the 
Baptist (which he first alleged, verse 32, etc.), will per- 
suade you to believe in me ; without which I cannot 
bestow life upon you. 

He did such miracles as none before Him had done: 
He opened the eyes of the blind, cleansed the lepers, 
and made the lame to walk. And a great many of His 
miracles were the restoring of men to their primitive state 
of integrity and soundness of body, by removing sick- 
nesses and diseases which sin had brought upon them. 
It was a notable sign that He was the Healer of nature, 
the Restorer of the world, the Saviour of mankind, who 
could bring them back to the blessed immortality which 
they had lost. Whence it was that when He cured the 
man sick of the palsy, instead of saying, Be well. He 
said: Son, thy sins are forgiven thee ; to show that He 
had power to remove the punishment of sin, and so 
make them immortal. 

And when He had fed so many thousands v^\\h. five 
barley loaves and two fishes, this miracle made the 
multitude conclude that certainly He was the Prophet 
v/ho should come into the world ; and therefore they 
purposed, whether He would or no, to come and make 
Him their King (John vi. 5, 6, 14, 15). Our Lord takes 
occasion to tell them how sorry He was to see them so 
industriously pursue the food of their bodies and not 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 267 

mind the food of their souls, to which His late miracle 
led them ; and in plain terms told them that this spirit- 
ual food was Himself, who was the bread of life y and that 
they should hunger after more than for the loaves where- 
with they had been filled ; so that if they did eat of Him, 
they should have everlasting life, and He would raise 
them lip at the last day (verses 26, 27, 35, etc.). 

This they might have easily believed if they had con- 
sidered the miracle of the loaves, which was a token 
from God that He could support them eternally. For 
why should not He be able to give life who so strangely 
preserved it ? and out of a little dust make a body, as 
He had out of a few crumbs made so many loaves? 

And if we consider how He dispossessed devils, it 
told the world plainly that He came to destroy the works 
of the devil, who by sin held his throne, and gave him 
all the power he had over men, and made them his 
vassals and slaves. 

Jesus came to take away the sins of the world, and 
thereby disarm him of the power of death, and restore 
men again to that everlasting life out of which the devil 
had before thrown mankind, as our Saviour now threw 
him out of them. All this, the Jews themselves con- 
fess, shall be the work of the Messias. 

That He raised dead men to life was the greatest 
miracle of all. This showed that He had life in Him- 
self, and would bestow it upon us, for He raised them 
on purpose to declare what He was, and what they 
might expect from Him, viz., a perfect victory over 
death and the grave, which appeared most remarkably 
in the resurrection of Lazarus, who was not only dead, 
but already putrid, and in dissolution. 

The 'O^Ao?, the multitude, gave testimony of it (John 



268 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

xii. 17). The people were confirmed in this belief by 
the testimony of all their senses. By their ozvn voice 
which showed Him the tomb, saying, Come and see, and 
His loud voice which they /^r^r^ saying, Lazarus^ come 
forth (John xi. 34, 43). By their sight when they be- 
held him, whom they knew very well to be dead, obey- 
ing His word. By their j-//^^// when they perceived the 
ill scent as they rolled away the stone. By their touch 
when they loosed his hands and his feet, as our Saviour 
bade them, and let him go. The Pharisees began now 
to despair of prevailing against Him any other way 
than by taking His life ; they resolved in their hearts 
to have Lazarus killed too, because as long as he lived 
he would proclaim this miracle to the honor of Jesus, 
who, just when He was going to raise up Lazarus, 
inculcates this doctrine (that He was the Author of 
eternal life), as the fittest season to impress it upon 
them : " I am the resurrection and the life ; he that be- 
lieveth in me, although he be dead, shall live. And 
every one that liveth, and believeth in me, shall not die 
forever " (John vi. 25, 26). 

Christ was raised and glorified that our faith and hope 
might be in God {i Pet. i. 21). 

That our blessed Saviour was really dead, as history 
testifies. His greatest enemies always confessed, and 
still acknowledge. And if we will not doubt of every- 
thing we do not see, we cannot refuse to believe that 
Jesus did indeed rise again after He was dead and 
buried, and ascended into heaven. Which being sup- 
posed, there is no man can have the face to deny the 
resurrection of the body and life everlastings which Christ 
our Lord hath promised us. There can be no truer 
reasoning than that of St. Paul : " If we believe that 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 269 

Jesus died and rose again, even so them who have slept 
through Jesus, will God bring with Him" (i Thess. iv. 
13). So the same apostle argues elsewhere against 
those who denied this truth : '' If Christ be preached 
that He rose from the dead, how do some among you 
say that there is no resurrection of the dead ? " (i Cor. 
XV. 12). It is the grossest absurdity to say there can be 
no such thing as the restoring of a dead body to life, 
when it is so evidently verified in Christ's resurrection, 
which shows it is so far from being impossible or incred- 
ible that it is to be a thing which has been done already, 
as is very well attested by witnesses that cannot with 
any equity be rejected. There is no reason to doubt 
it, but the greatest reason to hope and be confident 
** that He who raised up Jesus will raise up us also with 
Jesus," etc. (2 Cor. iv. 14). For by His resurrection the 
Spirit proved the truth of all that the other witnesses 
testified. Particularly it demonstrated the truth of His 
doctrine, by which life and immortality was brought to 
light. If this had not been true, that we shall live for- 
ever with Him, Jesus would have perished, and never 
come to life again to deceive the world the second 
time. But seeing God did not leave His soul in hell, 
nor suffer His Holy One to see corruption, it is an in- 
fallible argument that those who believe in Him shall 
not perish, but b^ made alive as He is. Because, He 
that said He would rise again the third day, said like- 
wise, with the same assurance, that at the last day He 
will raise up us also, and bestow upon us everlasting 
life. 

This is the character He had given of Himself : " I a7it 
the resurrection and the life'' This He often preached and 
proved in many ways ; but after all. He sealed it with 



2/0 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

blood, and told them they should see it sealed by His 
resurrection from the dead ; which ensuing at the time 
appointed, was a perfect demonstration that He said 
truly when He affirmed that He is tJie resurrection and 
the life. 

Let us remember how " the graves were opened, and 
many bodies of the saints that had slept arose, and 
coming out of the tombs, after His resurrection, came 
into the holy city and appeared to many " (Matt, xxvii. 
52, 53)- Which were notable instances of His power 
to give life ; and put us in hope that we shall all rise 
again as they did. Never was any such thing heard of 
before or since ; and, therefore, it was intended to dem- 
onstrate the mighty power of His resurrection, when 
these saintly bodies arose from their graves. If the 
apostles had written falsely concerning the rising of 
these holy persons, and coming into Jerusalem, as well 
as of the rising of Lazarus, there would have been 
pens enough in those days employed to confute them, 
and proclaim the forgery. And those Jews would have 
been as careful preservers of such confutations as of 
any of their most beloved traditions. 

Nor is there the least shadow of reason to question 
the testimony of those who saw Him ascend into heaven, 
and as a token of His being there, received from Him, 
ten days after, the gift of the Holy Ghost, which com- 
pleted the demonstration of His power and purpose to 
give eternal life to all His followers. 

For His ascension into heaven evidently shows us 
that it is possible that we may be translated thither ; 
and though our bodies now be but lumps of living clay, 
yet they may be one day snatched from this dull globe 
to shine among the stars. And this is not only possi- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 27 1 

ble, but certain, for nothing can be out of the reach of 
His power, which is over all creatures '' in heaven, on 
earth, and under the earth " (i Phil. ii. 10), and a power 
to do all things (i Pet. iii. 22) ; " for God hath put all 
things under His feet " (i Cor. xv. 27). He designed He 
should bring many sons unto glory together with Him- 
self. Because this Royal power whereby He is invested 
is a kind of trust ; not only for Himself, but for the 
good of all those whom He rules and governs (i Cor. xv. 
24, 25, etc.). For the apostle concludes that Christ 
having a kingdom which must at last be resigned into 
the hands of God the Father, will first put down all 
rule, all authority and power, and leave no enemy un- 
conquered ; no, not death, which will only be the last 
that shall be subdued, and destroyed it must be (verses 
26, 27). Nay, our Lord Himself acknowledges His 
kingdom to be a trust, when He says : '^ Thou hast 
given Plim power over all flesh, that He may give 
eternal life to all whom Thou hast given Him " (John 
xvii. 2), whence it is that He often protests, " This is the 
will of the Father," etc. (John vi. 39, 40-57), and in ex- 
press terms He saith that He went away \.o prepare a 
place for us. And, therefore. He is bound by His office 
to promote us to that glory and honor in heaven which it 
is the will of the Father that it should be bestowed on 
us. This He most earnestly prayed for when He was on 
earth ; it being one of His last requests to His Father : 
" Father, I will that where I am, they also whom Thou 
hast given me may be with me, that they may see my 
glory which Thou hast given me " (John xvii. 24). I 
shall close the last testimony of the Spirit with these 
remarkable words of St. Peter: ''AH things of His 
divine power which appertain to life and godliness, are 



2/2 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

given us through the knowledge of Him who hath 
called us by His own proper glory and virtue," etc. (2d 
Epis. i. 3, 4). The meaning is plainly this, that God in 
a most excellent manner bestowed on us all things that 
are necessary for our future happiness, and for our pres- 
ent conduct in piety, which is the only way to eternal 
life. And if you ask me hoAV He hath given us these 
things in so resplendent, godlike a manner, I will tell 
you : It is through the knowledge of Him who called 
us ; that is, through Jesus Christ, the true Wordoi God, 
who hath called us to piety and happiness. We are 
sure to attain everlasting life, if we follow those direc- 
tions He hath given us, which will infallibly bring us to 
it. We are so sure to attain eternal life, and our 
promises of it are so strongly confirmed that we can- 
not doubt of them. For when He gave them, it zvas 
did 60^7]^ Koi aptri]<^, by glory and virtue. 

None, I suppose, question but by these great and 
precious promises by which we may be made partakers 
of the divine nature. He means those of raising us 
from the dead, and carrying us to heaven, to live with 
God, and that eternally. Now, as there is nothing that 
can be compared with these promises, so we have no 
testimony on earth comparable to this of the Spirit. 
For by this we know that He hath all power in heaven 
and earth, and is able to do whatsoever the Father Al- 
mighty does ; that is, give life to the dead, which is the 
property of the Almighty alone. So the enemies of 
our religion are forced to confess, who say there are 
th?'ee keys which God keeps to Himself, and commits 
to none of His ambassadors : the keys of the womb^ the 
keys of heaven^ and the keys of the grave. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ was no ordinary ambassador, 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 2/3 

for He had power to raise those to life who are dead ; 
He has tJie keys of dcaiJi ajid Jicll (Rev. i. i8). He can 
raise even the dead bodies of His subjects to Hfe again. 
And He hath lifted them out of the dust (to apply 
the Psalmist's words), even with the princes of His 
heavenly court to praise and bless His love forever and 
ever. Nor did He assume this power to Himself vainly, 
for it was conferred on Him by God the Father, who 
raised Him from the dead, and gave Him the glory where- 
in St. John beheld Him when He said : " I am alive and 
was dead, and behold I am living forever and ever, and 
have the keys of death and of hell." 

It becomes us to stand amazed at the transcendent 
love of God towards us sinners ; who sent His own 
eternal Son appearing from heaven in our flesh, with 
this message : TJiat God hath given to tcs eternal life^ 
and this life is in His Son. O most joyful news ! shall 
we poor mortals live forever? and live there where 
Jesus is? He tells us we shall live with Him, and see 
His glory, and be with His Son Jesus, and reign to- 
gether with Him in His heavenly kingdom, and be 
equal to the angels, and enter into the joy of our Lord, 
and continue with Him forever. 

But that we may understand how much we are in- 
debted for His wonderful love, I shall show as briefly 
as I can how little the world knew, before our Saviour 
came with this blessed happiness. 

Among all those philosophers who endeavored by 
hum.an argumentations to find it, there were but few, as 
St. Augustine truly observes (Lib. xiii., de Trinitate) 
that could, and they but scarcely, arrive at the knowl- 
edge of the immortality of the soul. See his book of 
the "City of God" (Lib. xii., cap. 20). There is noth- 
12* 



274 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Ing truer than that of St. Paul (Ephes. ii. 12), " that they 
had no hope of the promise and (were) without God in 
the world." For to say nothing of the Resurrection (to 
which they were perfect strangers), some of the greatest 
philosophers denied the immortality of the soul. Soc-- 
rates himself, the very best of them, was not confident 
of it, but left it in doubt, as a thing uncertain. Nor 
was Aristotle assured, no, nor Tully and Seneca, who 
could not by all their reasonings attain a well-grounded 
hope of it, but were forced to confess, after all their dis- 
quisitions about the soul, that it is one of the most dif- 
ficult things in the world to receive any certain knowl- 
edge about it (Aristotle's Lib. de Anima, c. i). All that 
they said was uncertain and sometimes extravagant. 
And how deeply we are indebted to the exceeding great 
love of God, who, when He saw the minds of men so 
weak to comprehend such things, and that they stood 
in need of a divine Teacher, was pleased in His infinite 
condescension to send His own beloved Son, who is 
the wayy the truth, and the life. 

It cannot be denied that the greatest part of the Jews 
before our Saviour's coming did expect the resurrection 
of the dead and eternal life (John v. 39 ; Acts xxiii. 
6, 7, 8 ; Heb. xi. 9, 10, 16, 26), and their writers in all 
ages have spoken much of the world to come. All this 
is true ; but it is as certain that they had no such ex- 
press promises of these things either in the law or in the 
prophets as we have in the holy Gospel. Where do 
you read one such saying as this in the whole law of 
Moses : ^' Amen, Amen, I say unto you, he that be- 
lieveth in me hath everlasting life. I am the living 
bread whicli came down from heaven. If any man eat 
of this bread, he shall live forever ; and the bread that 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 2/5 

I will give is my flesh for the hfe of the world " (John 
vi. 47, 51, 52). 

Promises of the goods of this world were made to 
those that diligently kept God's commandments, to 
whom He says : He will give to your land the early 
rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your 
corn, and your wine, and your oil, etc. (Deut. xi. 14, 1 5), 
which is repeated again more largely in xxviii. 2, 3 : 
"And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and 
overtake thee," etc. But in what place do you find any 
such promises as these : " Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ; blessed are they 
that mourn, for they shall be comforted ; blessed are 
the clean of heart, for they shall see God ; blessed are 
they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, 
that they may have a right to the tree of life " (Matt. 
V. 3, 5, 8, and Rev. xxii. 14). 

All is dark in the law of Moses to prove the resur- 
rection and the life to come ; and we can conclude 
nothing certainly, but that God did not reveal these 
things through the writings of Moses, who was sent to 
make a covenant of another nature with the Israelites, 
Whence it was that the resurrection of the dead and eter- 
nal life were so much disputed by a great party among 
the Jews ; the Pharisees affirming, and the Sadducees de- 
nying, which left the minds of the multitude in much 
doubt, while they saw these two schools so resolutely 
opposing each other. And if we pass from the law to 
the prophets, especially to the prophet Isaias, who 
speaks more clearly of the resurrection of the dead 
than all the rest, we shall not yet receive full sat- 
isfaction. The texts of Isaias are these : xviii. 4; xxiv. 
18, 21, 22, 23; xxv. 8; xxvi. 19; Ixvi. 8, 14, 24, and 



2-]^ THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

such like, which, when seriously examined, show that 
this doctrine was but obscurely delivered in the Scrip- 
tures, although men knew surely by tradition of the 
immortality of the soul. 

But in express terms we read : '' God so loved the 
world as to give His only begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life ev- 
erlasting" (John iii. i6). ''And this is the promise 
which He hath promised us, life everlasting " (ist Epist. 
ii. 25). What is there in all the prophets like to this? 
" I am the resurrection and the life ; he that believeth 
in me, although he be dead, shall live " (John xi. 25). 

This He published so clearly that the dullest and 
most illiterate souls saw there was no Master compara- 
ble to Him, who had the words of eternal life, and by 
His death, resurrection, and ascension, opened to all be- 
lievers the kingdom of heaven. From all which we may 
safely conclude that there can no reason in the world be 
given why any man thus informed should not believe 
the Gospel, but only his own desperate wickedness. For 
the things propounded therein are most desirable above 
all other. It reveals such a wonderful love of God to 
mankind, that all men would rejoice to hear the news 
of it, were they not averse to those pious and virtuous 
discourses whereby they are told they must attain it. 
Nothing attracts all hearts so much as the hope of a 
blessed immortality ; which is so testified to us in the 
Gospel, that nothing could make men turn their ears 
away from it by infidelity, but only the incurable wick- 
edness of their nature, which the Gospel says they must 
quit for so great a good. 

In a word, there is nothing in this Book but what is 
suitable to all men's desires, save only the holy rule of 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 2// 

life ; and therefore there can be nothing else but their 
hatred to this, which makes them reject all the rest. 
They would follow their nobler appetite after those 
good things which the Gospel promises, if they had not 
perfectly given up themselves to those baser appetites 
which must be denied for their sake. *' And if our 
gospel be hid," says St. Paul, *' it is hid to them that 
are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded 
the minds of unbelievers, that the light of the Gospel 
of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should 
not shine unto them " (2 Cor. iv. 34). That which the 
Gospel reports is as clear as the noonday. Nothing 
can be more visible than the light of the Gospel of the 
glory of Christ, which, says the apostle, if any man do 
not see, after such evident demonstrations of these 
things, it is his wickedness hinders him. And such 
men after they have long resisted the light, fall under 
the power of the devil so inevitably, that he blinds 
their eyes. They become infidels of themselves ; and 
having given themselves over to unbelief against such 
miraculous evidence of the truth of the Christian faith, 
God gives them over to him to whose service they have 
so slavishly devoted themselves in such a manner that 
they cannot but with great difficulty be recovered. 

From which miserable condition let all those who are 
inclined to infidelity take care to save themselves by 
timely considering those divine demonstrations which 
these holy men of God have reported to us ; who be- 
held our Saviour's glory, " the glory as of the only be- 
gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth " (John i. 
14). Concerning which words, hear what the great St. 
Chrysostom writes : " The angels appeared in great 
glory upon the earth to Daniel, David, and Moses ; but 



278 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

they appeared as servants, as those that had a master. 
It is the peculiar glory of our Saviour that He appeared 
as a Lord, as having power over all ; and though in a 
poor and vile fashion, yet even in that the creation 
knew its Lord and Master," etc. (Horn. xii. in Johan.) 

The grounds of Christian belief, you see, are based 
upon the most credible witnesses, that it is rank folly 
and baseness to deny it. For what we know by credi- 
ble report is as certain as what we see and hear with 
eyes and ears. And what can be better attested than 
the Holy Ghost, which is justly called the testimony of 
God, and the testimony of Christ (i Cor. ii. i and i. 6)? be- 
cause God testified these things to us as His will by His 
Son Christ ; and Christ testified them to us by the Holy 
Ghost. For so St. Paul says (verses 5, 6) the Corinthians 
were made rich by our Lord with every gift, as the testis 
mony of Christ was confirmed among them. After which 
mighty evidence we are assured God intends to bestow 
on us immortal life, and nothing of any weight whatso- 
ever can be objected against this doctrine, particularly 
against that part which concerns the resurrection of the 
body at the last day. For that great Lord who said it, we 
are certain can perform it. He hath also already fulfilled 
His word in other things He foretold, though nobody 
would believe Him till they saw it, which is a good 
ground, as St. Gregory Nyssen observes, to expect this, 
though it seem never so difficult and incredible, had He 
not promised it. '^ I suppose," saith he, '' that an hus- 
bandman discoursing of the virtue of seeds, should not 
be believed by a bystander that had never been bred in 
the country, nor seen anything of that nature: would it 
not be sufficient for his satisfaction, to take but one 
single grain out of a heap of corn, and tell to him he 



THE MEASURE OF THE V/ORLD. 2/9 

should SC3 in that the virtue of all the rest? For he 
that sees one grain of wheat cast into the ground, com- 
ing up after some time a full ear, will never doubt of the 
fruitfulnessof all the rest of the same kind. Even just so," 
saith he, '^ it seems to me a sufficient testimony of the 
resurrection, that the truth of other things which He 
foretold, cannot be denied. In them we have an ex- 
periment whereby we may judge of everything else that 
He hath said." 

But to demand that everything should be made out by 
reason before we receive it, is to make us pJiilosophcrs, 
not Christians, whose name is believers. And besides, 
the best philosophers cannot tell us how the corn I now 
mentioned grows up from a little seed cast into the 
ground, or a man from so small a beginning in his 
mother's womb, or anything considerable of the man- 
ner how all natural productions are performed. And, 
therefore, what folly it is to resolve not to be satisfied, 
unless we show how a dead body can be raised. It is 
sufTficient to show that idoneus est reficere qui facit, as 
TertuUian speaks in this case. He that made it at first 
is able to make it again. 

Let him, therefore, that believes this testimony that 
God hath given us eternal life in His Son Jesus, ask 
himself zuhat he thinks in his conscience is the way to this 
supreme felicity. May we live here just as we wish, 
and yet hope hereafter to live with Christ ? Or can we 
reasonably think to be received up to His heavenly 
kingdom though we mind nothing but what we get in 
this world ? Strange that Christian people should 
imagine piety and virtue to be things superfluous ! and 
take the mortifying of the lusts of the flesh, the lust of 
the eye, and the pride of life to be nothing else but a 



280 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

piece of monastical austerity and melancholic devo- 
tion ! 

Consider what all these witnesses say concerning the 
way to heaven. Do they not tell us that '* narrow is 
the gate and strait is the way that leadeth to life" 
(Matt. vii. 14), that we must strive to enter (Luke xiii. 
24) ; and that " there shall not enter into it anything 
defiled" (Rev. xxi. 27); and that "without holiness no 
man shall see God " ? (Heb. xii. 14). 

The Father, by a voice from heaven bids us hear His 
Son, who says, " Not every one that saith to me, Lord, 
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he 
that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven " 
(Matt. vii. 21). And the Word saith, " Blessed are they 
that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb ; that 
they may have a right to the tree of life, and may 
enter by the gates into the city " (Rev. xx. 14). Where- 
fore, as the Holy Ghost saith: ''To-day if you shall 
hear His voice, harden not your hearts " (Heb. iii. 7, 8). 
This was the language of old ; and it was poured also 
upon the apostles that penance and remission of sins 
should be preached in our Saviour's name unto all na- 
tions (Luke xxiv. 47, 49), which is the end also of our 
being washed with water in His name ; for " we are bap- 
tized in His death ; and therefore ought to reckon our- 
selves to be dead to sin, but alive unto God in Christ 
Jesus our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your 
mortal body, so as to obey the lusts thereof" (Rom. vi. 
3, II, 12). For His blood was shed, "that He might 
redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to Him- 
self a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works " 
(Tit. ii. 14). For which end also He was raised from the 
dead that by the eternal Spirit He might bless us, " that 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 28 1 

every one may convert himself from his wickedness " 
(Acts iii. 26), And therefore this the apostles say and 
testify in the Lord, ^'that henceforward we walk not 
as also the Gentiles walk" (Ephes. iv. 17). For God 
hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctifi- 
cation. " Therefore he that despiseth these things dc- 
spiseth not man, but God ; who also hath given His 
holy Spirit in us " (i Thess. iv. 7, 8). 

It shall be more tolerable, says our Saviour, for 
Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than 
for those places where the Gospel of God's grace was 
preached. This very thing will make the fire more de- 
vouring, to think for what poor pleasures or gains they 
set at naught so stupendous a grace ; and that withal 
they have lost those things for which they lost heaven. 
The miserable soul will continually pour itself the hot- 
test and the most scalding thoughts of its own gross 
stupidity and senseless negligence. It will flame with 
anger and burning wrath against itself, for the frantic 
choice which it had made. This misery v/ill lie frying 
forever, sibiqiie perpetuiun pabulum subministrabit, and 
afford to itself perpetual fuel, to keep alive the boiling 
rage and fierce displeasure it hath conceived against 
itself. 

But I shall pursue it no further. I shall only add 
that none knows what flames the breath of the Lord 
will kindle. The power of His anger is inconceivable, 
especially when incensed by the slighting of His love. 
Who can describe the torments which the fire that 
never goes out, and the worm that never dies, when 
they meet together, will cause both in the souls and 
bodies of such contemptuous sinners? 

Consider, then, I beseech you once more, what is the 



282 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

wisest course for him to take who believes all this, and 
doth not think we have been all this time discoursing 
of a fiction. Is every man that reads these things re- 
solved to become a new creature? and say as St. Paul 
did after he had seen our Saviour : " What shall I do, 
Lord ? " or as the Israelites, who beheld no such sights 
as are set before our eyes, a/l that the Lord our God 
speaks to iLS, we will hear it and do it f 

O that there were such an heart in every one of us, 
that we would no longer neglect such great salvation ! 
And in all our external affairs exercise such justice, 
charity, thankfulness, and contented humility, that we 
may be able to say, if anybody ask us what we are 
doing, we work for eternity. 

The hope of eternal life did not only support and 
uphold the spirits of the martyrs ; it wonderfully re- 
freshed and comforted them in all their afflictions. 
''Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we also 
may be able to comfort them who are in any distress," 
etc. (2 Cor. i. 4, 7). His kingdom they knew was not 
of this world, even as He was not of the world ; and 
therefore they did not expect He should give them a 
portion of good things here. No ; He told them plainly, 
'' in the world you shall have distress ; but have confi- 
dence, I have overcome the world " (John xvi. 33). 
Which victory of His over death and the grave en- 
couraged them to follow Him in all their tribulations, 
not merely with simple comfort, but with joy. So our 
Saviour Himself bade them rejoice when they were re- 
viled and persecuted for His name's sake : " Be glad and 
rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven " (Matt. 
V. 12). And so they did as St. Paul tells us (Rom. v. 
2, 3): ''We glory in the hope of the glory of God; 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 283 

and not only so, but we glory also in tribulations." 
For they had this strong consolation, as the divine 
writer to the Hebrews calls it : First, that nothing, 
either in this world or the other, could take away that 
heavenly good from them ; as St. Paul testifies in that 
triumph of his : '' I am sure that neither death, nor life, 
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
present, nor things to come, nor might, nor height, nor 
depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate 
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our 
Lord " (Rom. viii. 38, 39). Second, as they knew they 
could not lose their future happiness, so they knew it 
to be incomparably greater than all their sufferings : 
*' For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not 
worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that 
shall be revealed in us" (Rom. viii. 18). And there is 
a third reason of their exceeding great joy : because 
their afflictions which they endured for Chiist's sake 
would increase their glory hereafter and crown them in 
heaven. 

Consider with what resolution, courage, and cheerful- 
ness, they whose knowledge of heavenly things was 
darker than ours, received the most dreadful suffer- 
ings, even death itself, before the coming of our Sav- 
iour. The mother and her seven sons, whose story is 
recorded in the second book of the Maccabees (chap- 
ter vii.), in hope of a blessed resurrection, offered them- 
selves to the sharpest torments, rather than break the 
Law of their Creator. It would be too long to re- 
late the speech of the mother and those of her sons 
who gave an illustrious testimony of their faith in God, 
and have left a rare example to all posterity of con- 
stancy and patience under the greatest sufferings. The 



284 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

apostle himself hath perpetuated their memory in his 
epistle to the Hebrews, and made it sacred to all gen- 
erations; where it will stand to our great confusion, 
if we should not learn of those who had so great a 
faith, under so dark a revelation. What would not 
these persons have done if they had lived in our times; 
who were so courageous before the sufferings of Christ, 
and the glory that followed after? What rare souls 
would they not have been, especially with the example 
of Jesus Christ? 

Let us remember the words of these witnesses who 
say that Jesus is the Son of God, in whom is eternal 
life. And since all these witnesses say He is in heaven, 
let us resolve that we will die looking up to Him, and 
saying : Lord, remember it is the will of the Father that 
we should have eternal life. TJiou Thyself appearedst 
to St. Stephen, and madest him confident. Thou wilt 
receive our spirit also. The Holy Ghost, the Spirit of 
truth saith Thou art glorified, and wilt glorify us with 
Thyself. This Thou hast preached to us. This Thy 
Blood hath purchased for us. This is why Thou didst rise 
again to prepare for our coming to Thee. This the holy 
apostles say Thou sendest them to publish to the world. 
This Thou madest us believe, and wait for, and suffer for, 
and long to enjoy. O dearest Lord, and most merciful 
Saviour, who art the trtte and faithful zuitness, let not 
the price of Thy precious Blood be lost. Then I will not 
cease to call upon Thee ; I will die with these words in 
my mouth, and be confident Thou wilt hear me, LORD 
Jesus, receive my spirit. Then confidently I hope 
to offer acceptable sacrifices to Thee at Thy Holy Al- 
tar, O Father, and Word, and Holy Ghost : for to Thee 
belongs all glory, honor, and dominion, forever and ever. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 28$ 

THE 

RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST 

IS THE 

FOUNDATION OF OURS. 

As the angels on the birth-night of the immortal Son 
of God proclaimed to the world the nativity of Jesus 
Christ, so they announced to the devout women of the 
sepulchre the joyful news of His glorious Resurrection. 
"You seek," said the heavenly messenger, "Jesus of 
Nazareth who was crucified; He is risen; He is not 
here" (Mark xvi. 6). 

These words were spoken eighteen hundred years ago, 
and it is a consolation to know that Jesus Christ is the 
same to-day as on the morning of His resurrection, and 
in knowing this we are more blessed than the women 
to whom the angels spoke, according to our Lord's 
words : " Blessed are they that have not seen, and have 
believed." 

His humility, His birth in the manger, His sufferings 
and shameful death on the cross veiled His glory, but 
His glory is displayed in the mystery of His resurrection. 
His death on the cross is repaid, His labors crowned. His 
divinity manifested. His humility exalted. His v/isdom 
unfolded. His religion established. His doctrines con- 
firmed and built upon an unshaken foundation. 

At this glorious event the heavens and the earth were 
filled with unspeakable joy and triumph, and justly re- 
sounded with canticles of adoration, praise, and thanks- 
giving. Since Jesus Christ by forsaking the mansions 
of the dead and rising glorious from the tomb, demon- 

(285) 



286 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

strated His divinity, fulfilled the prophecies, destroyed 
the empire of Satan, triumphed over sin and death, and 
opened to mankind the gates of everlasting life : we 
shall rise from our graves at the end of the world, and 
be united to Him as our Head, because He has merited 
for us a right to partake of His immortality, and a title 
to the full possession of the true land of promise, the 
kingdom of heaven. "As He died for our sins, so He 
rose again for our justification," says St. Paul (Rom. 
iv. 25). His resurrection, therefore, is the confirmation 
of our faith, the accomplishment of our redemption, 
and the foundation of our hope that we shall one day 
rise from death to a life of immortal glory. 

Two of the most important truths of Christianity are 
founded on the resurrection of Jesus Christ : firsts this 
mystery is the basis of the Christian religion, namely, 
that Jesus Christ is God ; second, it is the source of all 
evangelical morals, namely, that we shall rise again one 
day like Jesus Christ. 

The greatest proof of Christ's Godhead and divinity 
is the resurrection. " He was declared to be the Son 
of God by the resurrection from the dead " (Rom. i. 4). 
St. Paul proves clearly our Lord's resurrection with 
arguments capable of convincing the most incredulous. 
For he knew well that mankind would never receive 
the austere morals of the Gospel nor embrace the in- 
comprehensible mysteries of the Christian faith, unless 
they were persuaded that they should obtain in the 
world to come a grand recompense for their obedience. 
He appeared, says that great apostle, to St. Peter ; then 
to the eleven disciples, then to James and to all the 
rest of the apostles, afterward to more than five hundred 
of the faithful assembled together. Now, if Christ be 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 28/ 

truly risen from the dead as the evidence proved, it fol- 
lows by a necessary consequence that He is truly the 
Son of God ; His doctrine, therefore, is from heaven; the 
promises and menaces He makes us are certain ; the 
punishments and recompenses He assures us are infalli- 
ble, and of course we are to believe that w^e shall rise 
again with the same body and soul to receive the eternal 
sentence of justice or mercy. It is a point of the utmost 
importance for us to examine carefully, if we have truly 
forsaken the grave of our iniquities as Christ did forsake 
the grave of death, because the truth of His resurrec- 
tion must serve as a mirror and model for us to discover 
the truth of our spiritual resurrection and to prove the 
sincerity of our repentance. First, Christ arose from 
the tomb where the Jews had buried Him. Secondly, 
He reappeared to His disciples in a palpable manner. 
Thirdly, He confirmed by sensible actions the appear- 
ance He made. It is from these circumstances we are 
to judge whether our spiritual resurrection and conver- 
sion be true or false. 

The disciples had lost almost all hopes of seeing 
their divine Master again while His body remained in 
the tomb. We hoped that it was He that should have re- 
deemed Israel ; but He is dead, and our hopes are dead 
with Him (Luke xxiv.). Indeed, there is but cold com- 
fort in a dead Saviour. Jesus had often mentioned be- 
fore His death that on the third day He should rise 
again. The Jewish Synagogue well remembered it, 
and therefore applied to Pilate for a guard as if they 
suspected a design in the disciples of stealing away the 
body, and then saying that it was raised to life again. 
Pilate granted their request. They rejoiced to be de- 
livered from one whom they looked upon as their most 



288 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

dangerous enemy, and placing sentinels about His tomb 
thought themselves perfectly secured. But He who 
dwells in the highest heavens despised their empty 
schemes, and turned their malicious designs to their 
confusion, even into the very means of manifesting the 
truth which they strove to conceal. 

For, on the third day, early in the morning, the soul 
of our blessed Saviour, which, during the time of its 
separation, had been comforting souls in limbo, came to 
the sepulchre, and reunited itself with His sacred body 
and He rose by His own divine power from the dead. 
In that awful moment the earth was shaken to its 
very foundation, the dead arose from their graves, an 
angel in a raiment of glory descends from heaven, 
throws open the grave, and prostrates the guards on 
the ground. " You seek," said the angel to the women, 
*' Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified ; He is risen ; He 
is not here ; behold the place where they laid Him " 
(Mark xvi. 6). The emptiness of the grave proved that 
He was risen. This is a clear proof that Christ rose 
from the bowels of the earth, and came to life by His 
ovv^n power and virtue. His divinity was no longer 
eclipsed, but was displayed and manifested by the re- 
union of His soul and body, nor was His power any 
longer restrained, but it was signalized by His victory 
over death. 

On the certainty of Christ's resurrection depend all 
hopes of our own. And in the first place, what is there 
in it that need shock our reason? It was a wonderful 
event; but is not nature full of wonderful events? 
When we seriously weigh the matter, is it less strange 
that a grain of corn thrown into the ground should die, 
and rise again with new vegetation, than that a human 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 289 

body, in the same circumstances, should assume new 
life ? The commonness of the former makes it familiar 
to us, but not in any degree less unaccountable — are 
we at all more acquainted with the manner in which 
grain germinates, than the manner in which a body is 
raised from the dead ? The same power that can effect 
the one may effect the other also. But analogy, though 
it may tend to convince, is not truth. Let us proceed 
to the matter of fact. That the body was dead, and 
safely lodged in the tomb and afterward conveyed out 
of it was agreed on, both by those who opposed, and 
by those who favored the resurrection. The disciples 
tell us in a very plain and simple manner that the body 
was gone, — they were surprised at the event, notwith- 
standing their Master had Himself foretold it. They 
found afterward, to their great astonishment, that their 
Master was again alive, and they were several times 
with Him ; they appealed for the truth of what they 
said to great numbers, who, as well as themselves, had 
seen Him after His resurrection. The chief priests, 
on the other side, declared the whole to be a forgery, 
asserting that the plain matter of fact was, the dis- 
ciples came by night, and stole the body away, while 
the soldiers slept. Such a tale, unsupported by evi- 
dence, would be listened to in no court of justice. It 
has not even the air of probability. Can it be supposed 
that the disciples, who had fled with terror when they 
might have rescued their Master's life, would venture 
in the face of an armed guard to carry off His dead 
body? Or is it probable they found the whole guard 
asleep, when we know that the vigilance of sentinels is 
secured by the strictest discipline? If the chief priests 
had any proof, why did they not produce it ? Why 
13 



290 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

were not the disciples taken up and examined upon the 
fact ? They never absconded. Why were they not 
judicially tried? Why was not the trial made public? 
and why were not authentic memorials of the fraud 
handed down to posterity, as authentic memorials were 
of the fact recorded at the very time and place where 
it happened ? Christianity never wanted enemies to 
propagate its disparagement ; but nothing of this kind 
was done ; no proof was attempted, except, indeed, the 
testimony of men asleep. The jdisciples were never 
questioned upon the fact, and the chief priests rested 
satisfied with spreading an inconsistent rumor among 
the people, impressed merely by their own authority. 

Historical questions are decided upon the authority 
of honest men. The records of Pontius Pilate sent to 
the Emperor Tiberius, evince the truth of the resurrec- 
tion, in which he relates the death and resurrection of 
Christ, which were recorded at Rome, as usual among 
other provincial matters. This intelligence made so 
great an impression upon the Emperor, that he refer- 
red it to the Senate, whether Jesus Christ of Judea 
should not be taken into the number of the Roman 
gods. Our belief of this fact is chiefly founded upon 
the testimony of Justin Martyr and Tertullian, two 
learned heathen in the age succeeding Christ, who be- 
came Christians from this very evidence, among others, 
in favor of Christianity. In their apologies to the 
Senate of Rome, they both appeal to these records of 
Pontius Pilate, as then generally known, which we can- 
not conceive such able apologists would have done, if 
no such records had existed. 

Upon the whole, then, we may afKirm boldly that this 
great event of the resurrection of Christ is founded 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 29 1 

upon evidence equal to the importance of it. If we 
expect still more, our answer is upon record : '' If ye 
believe not Moses and the prophets," God's ordinary 
means of salvation, '^ neither will ye be persuaded, though 
one rose from the dead." There must be bounds in all 
human evidences, and he who will believe nothing, un- 
less he has every possible mode of proof, must be an 
infidel in almost every transaction of life. 

He appeared in His exalted state to His disciples. 
He showed that He had a real human body; they 
handled Him, and saw Him come and go when the 
doors were shut, thus manifesting Himself as perfect 
God and perfect man. He ascended to His eternal 
kingdom, there to remain till the last day, '' wonderful 
counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the 
prince of peace " (Isaias ix. 6). 

Jesus Christ is our hope. " Blessed be the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His 
great mercy hath regenerated us unto a lively hope by 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead " (St. 
Peter i. 3). For the same divine power which resusci- 
tated Jesus Christ from the dead (2 Cor. iv.), will also 
with Jesus resuscitate us to a participation of that incor- 
ruptible, of that unfading and everlasting inheritance 
which is reserved for us in heaven. Such is the hope 
which all true Christian believers possess in Christ Jesus 
our Lord. In this hope the Arian has no share, be- 
cause, by denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, he re- 
jects the foundation on which this hope is built. 

To this hope the Unitarian renounces his title ; be- 
cause by disbelieving a plurality of persons in the unity 
of the divine nature he overthrows in his own mind 
the whole Christian system, annihilates the work of 



2J)2 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

man's redemption, discards the incarnation, the death 
and resurrection of the Son of God. Vain then in his 
opinion must be the preaching of the Gospel, and 
groundless the hope of any future recompense. To this 
hope the Materialist has no pretensions, when putting 
himself down upon a level with the brute creation, he 
degrades the dignity of an immortal soul, and meanly 
fancies it doomed to perish with his body in the same 
grave. To this hope, in fine, the Deist lays no claim 
when doubting of all that reason cannot fathom, he 
affects to reduce the standard of religion to the airy 
conceits of his own understanding. Void of the prin- 
ciples of faith, he forms no other idea of divine things 
than what imperfect reason under the influence of flesh 
and blood suggests. For the sensual man, says St. 
Paul (i Cor. ii.), has no conception of the things that 
are of the Spirit of God ; he neither relishes nor under- 
stands them. Full of that earthly wisdom which is 
foolishness in the sight of God, he disregards the truth 
of revelation ; too proud to stoop to the simplicity of 
the Gospel, too self-sufficient to submit his judgment 
to the principles of faith, and too skilled in false phi- 
losophy to adopt the precepts or practice of religion, 
he shines for a time in the delusive sphere of infidelity, 
till like a baleful meteor he vanishes out of sight never 
to shine again. 

David foretold that ^' His soul should not be left in 
hell," nor ''the Holy One of God see corruption " (Ps. 
XV. lo). " The Lord hath prepared His holy arm in 
the sight of all the Gentiles, and all the ends of the 
earth shall seethe salvation of our God "-(Isaias Hi. lo). 
Hence Christ affirms His resurrection from the sacred 
Scripture: "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 293 

Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead the 
third day " (Luke xxiv. 46). The " Holy Son Jesus " 
(Acts iv. 27). Here we see His resurrection harmon- 
izes with the history of His birth conceived by the Holy 
Ghost. The Holy Son was immortal even in His mor- 
tal nature, although liable to death, yet death could not 
hold possession. Death might overpower, but it could 
not keep possession ; " it had no dominion over Him " 
(Rom. vi. 9). He was " if/ie living among the dead'' 
Created in God's image, He was the second Adam, and 
more than Adam in His sacred nature, which beamed 
through His tabernacle of flesh. "The first man was 
of earth earthly ; the second man was the Lord from 
heaven " (i Cor. xv. 47). Christ was buried, and rose 
again the third day according to the Scriptures (Ibid. 
XV. 4). 

The justice of God demanded that Christ should rise 
again and enter the glory of the Father, i. For since 
the Son made full satisfaction, it was just that He 
should not be retained longer as one guilty of capital 
punishment. 2. The Prince of Life could not remain 
a long time in the chains of death, nor could the divine 
nature suffer that the body, the temple of the Divinity, 
should remain in the kingdom of death. 3. It was 
necessary that Christ should die to acquire salvation ; 
it was also necessary that He should apply it. 4. This 
resurrection was necessary for the confirmation of our 
faith, and also for the foundation of the Church ; for 
*' If Christ be not risen again," says the apostle, '^then 
is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain, for 
you are yet in your sins" (i Cor. xv. 14, 17). Hence 
St. Augustine says : " It is of little moment to believe 
that Christ died. This the Pagans, Jews, and all the 



294 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

wicked believe. In a word, all believe that Christ died ; 
but that He rose again from the dead is the belief of 
Christians. To believe that He rose again, this we 
deem of great importance " (Augustine in Ps. cxx. 4). 
*' He humbled Himself," says the same apostle, ''be- 
coming obedient unto death, even unto the death of 
the cross ; for which cause God also hath exalted Him " 
(PhiHp. ii. 8, 9). 

Eternal thanks to God who has given us victory 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, for His resurrection has 
completed the mystery of our salvation and redemp- 
tion. We were purchased by His Redemption ; His 
Resurrection sealed the title and conveyed it to us, and 
our justification entitles us to heaven. 

The incredulous Jews labored to obscure the proph- 
ecies concerning the divine Saviour : " Prophesy not 
for us those things that are right, but prophesy errors 
for us " (Isa. xxx. 10). The prophecy of Job is the 
most remarkable description of the resurrection of 
Christ. He speaks like an apostle rather than a 
prophet. He foretells Christ's resurrection and proph- 
esies his own : " For I know that my Redeemer liveth, 
and in the last day I shall rise out of the earth, and I 
shall be clothed again with my skin, and in my flesh I 
shall see my God, whom I myself shall see, and my 
eyes shall behold, and not another; this my hope is 
laid up in my bosom " (Job xix. 25, 26, 27). 

Here Job foresees and foretells the Resurrection of 
Christ. He tells us that Christ, who by His death re- 
deemed him, has again obtained an endless life ; that 
after His fall by death He is recovered and got up 
again, stands and shall stand last upon the earth. He 
prophesies his own resurrection ; he knew there was 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 295 

hope in his death, that he should be raised from the 
grave of corruption to an everlasting life of happiness. 
This text of Scripture demands our special attention on 
account of its clearness and its antiquity. There is not 
a more full, more expressive description of the Resurrec- 
tion in all the Scripture than this of Job's. O viritin 
ante Evangelium^ Evangelicum ! With Thomas, he puts 
his hand into Christ's side, beholds and embraces Him, 
and then his faith worships and adores his Redeemer ; 
my Lord and my God. There is another excellency that 
commends it — the date of antiquity. It is believed by 
many that Moses was the penman of this book. Job 
lived in Moses' time, or before him. St. Chrysostom 
reckons him the fourth from Esau. So timely a proph- 
ecy of our Saviour's death and resurrection is a rare 
monument. St. Peter tells us that Christ's resurrection 
was \.\\^ purchase of our inheritance. Now in matters 
of inheritance, the ancient deeds and conveyances are 
always the best. Here is a court-roll written by Moses, 
the first penman that God ever employed ; and here is 
a copy taken up by Job, one of the primitive saints, 
and by him conveyed to the Church forever. It was 
a matter of debasement to St. Paul that he had seen 
Christ last of all : " Last of all He was seen also by me, 
as one born out of due time " (i Cor. xv. 8). 

On the contrary it was a great dignity to Job that he 
was first born of faith ; first of all He was seen by him. 
His faith has the birthright of all the saints in the Old 
Testament. It was the high praise of those good 
women in the Gospel that they rose early to go to the 
sepulchre. Job's faith outstrips them all, and carries 
him to the grave of Christ ; he believes and confesses 
His resurrection. The saving object of Job's faith was 



296 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

the belief in Christ as Redeemer^ Raiser, and Judge, 
These were the stays and pillars of his hope. 

There are many remarkable types of the Resurrection 
in the sacred Scripture: Naaman's corrupt flesh re- 
stored as tJie flcsJi of a young cJiild, all whole and sound 
again. The widow of Sareptha's son raised from the 
dead ; Jonas devoured by the whale and after three 
days restored again. 

This mystery of the resurrection Christ Himself 
preached to the Gentiles : " Unless the grain of wheat 
falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone. But 
if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit " (John xii. 24, 25). 

Jesus in His divine economy saw the necessity of re- 
serving the principal proof of His divinity until the resur- 
rection, for in this great miracle God the Father proved 
that His divine Son v/as God and man at the same time : 
man, inasmuch as He was raised from death to life ; and 
God, inasmuch as He raised Himself from death to life. 

When the Jews asked from Him a sign by what au- 
thority He had done those things : '' No other sign 
than that typified by the prophet Jonas " (Matt. xii.). 
'* What sign dost thou show unto us, seeing thou dost 
these things ?" " Destroy this temple, and in three days I 
will raise it up" (John ii. 18, 19). When the disciples 
had discovered the glory of His Transfiguration : " Tell 
the vision to no man till the Son of Man be risen from 
the dead " (Matt. xvii. 9). Because, as St. Chrysostom 
says : " The resurrection was to be the sign of His 
divine filiation and the seal and finishing proof of all 
His other miracles." Our Saviour said : "I am equal 
to my Father, God as He is," and to make good what 
I advance, " I will rise from the dead the third day 
after my death." 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 297 

We believe that Christ rose the third day; then, again, 
we believe that we shall rise also at the resurrection of the 
body. Man may yield to the truth of Christ's resurrec- 
tion and doubt and question that of ours. i. Christ was 
God ; He could raise up Himself. He had power to lay 
down His life, and power to take it up again. 2. Though 
Christ were dead, and His soul severed from His body, 
yet His Godhead and divinity "were still united to it. 
His dead body was the body of the Son of God. Still 
supported and sustained by the Deity, so being united 
to the fountain of life, it is more conceivable that He 
should revive and live again. 3. Christ's body in the 
grave saw no corruption or putrefaction, no incineration, 
turned not into dust and ashes, lay but three days in 
the grave and revived. Job's body and ours shall be 
eaten by worms, turned to corruption, rotted in the 
grave many hundred years. It is easier then to conceive 
Christ's Resurrection than to believe ours. Yet "/ 
know J ' said Job, '' Christ is risen, and / know I shall 
rise again." Why? For he is sure that Christ is risen. 
Our resurrection is founded and built upon Christ's 
Resurrection. He that raised up Jesus CJirist from 
the dead shall quicken also your mortal bodies (Rom. 
viii.). 

We may strongly argue from Christ's resurrection to 
the possibility of ours. If God raised Him, the same 
power can raise us also. Tola ratio facti, is potejitia 
facientis. If Christ broke through the iron gate, clove 
the rocks, then it is possible for us to rise now that the 
gate of Life is set open to us, the rock and grave-stone 
rolled away and removed for us. Christ's Resurrection is 
the exemplary cause of our resurrection. In the language 
of St. Paul, " we look for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus 

13* 



298 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Christ, who will reform the body of our lowness, made 
like to the body of His glory " (Phil. iii. 20, 21). 

" If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the 
dead dwell in you, He that raised up Jesus Christ from 
the dead shall quicken also your mortal bodies, because 
of His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. vii. 11). 
Our infirmities have a malignant power to make us 
subject to the law of death. Their very existence in a 
Christian is the seed and original of mortality. Though 
sin be. pardoned by the death of Christ, though the do- 
minion and power of it be broken and subdued by the 
Spirit of Christ, yet as long as it remains in us in the 
least and lowest degree, it makes us subject to the 
power of death. This subjection to death is not total, 
but half a death, the death of the body only, but the 
soul has escaped free from the snares of death. T/ie 
body indeed is dead (that is, subject to death) because 
of sin ^ but the spirit liveth because of Justification (v. 10). 
Our chief and best part is put in a state of spiritual and 
glorious immortality. Fear not that zv hick kills the body, 
and can do no more. The death of the body is not total 
nor is it perpetual. *' The righteous shall have domin- 
ion over death in the morning." Our bodies in the 
holds of death are prisoners of hope. Death shall be 
swallowed up and abolished ; the power and Spirit of 
God shall free these mortal bodies, bring us like St. 
Peter asleep out of the dungeon, " If the Spirit of Him 
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you." 

Our resurrection is promised on the condition that 
He who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in us. 
He hath redeemed, He hath called. He hath mortified 
and sanctified, therefore He will raise us, and at last 
glorify us. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 299 

We do not gratuitously affirm, I shall be saved ; my 
body shall be raised ; but it is lawfully concluded 
on warrantable grounds: If I be justified; if the Spirit 
of God dwell in me, these are evidences, arguments, 
and pledges of my resurrection. Our resurrection is 
absolute and necessary, exigentia justitice ; "it is ap- 
pointed for all men to come to judgment " (Heb. ix.j. 
The resurrection shall bring the prisoners from the jail 
to the bar according to God's justice ; yet the resurrec- 
tion to life is capable of limitation and condition : " If 
by any means I may attain to the resurrection which is 
from the dead " (St. Paul, Phil. iii. ii). That there 
shall be an assizes and jail delivering, is settled by law, 
but how the prisoners shall speed, whether to advance- 
ment or execution, there is a hazard in that. 

We cannot immediately leap into heaven through 
the merits of Jesus Christ; there are prerequisites, condi- 
tions for our actual fruition. I strive if by any means 
I may attain to the resurrection. Our resurrection is a 
fundamental article of our faith, and yet as to its effect, 
limited with an if. Let it be ever so certain in itself, 
yet without the desire of sanctity, resurrection to life 
is not certain to us. *^ Without holiness no man shall 
see God " (Heb. xii. 14). 

" If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the 
dead dwell in you." The Holy Ghost is both the 
Spirit of the Father and of the Son, proceeds alike 
from both of them. The denial of this truth by the 
Greek Church caused that great schism between the 
Eastern and Western churches. The Christian faith 
acknowledges the Holy Ghost to be the Spirit of the 
Father, and the Spirit of the Son. Sometimes He is 
called the Spirit of the Father (John xv. 26) : "• He is 



300 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

called the Spirit of truth which proceeds from the 
Father." The same Spirit is called the promise of the 
Father. 

Again, sometimes He is called the Spirit of the Son 
(Rom. viii. 9). '^ If any man have not the Spirit of 
Christ, he is none of His." " God hath sent the Spirit 
of His Son into your hearts " (Gal. iv. 6). As the Spirit 
is the promise of the Father^ so likewise He is the prom- 
ise of the Son (John xvi.). He promised to send them 
the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. This procession from 
the Son was aptly represented by that outward sign 
and ceremony which Christ used in giving the Holy 
Ghost (John xx. 22) : " He breathed on them, and He 
said to them : Receive ye the Holy Ghost." Breathing 
is from within, it showed the Spirit proceeded from 
Him. The apostles gave the Holy Ghost, but not spi- 
rando, it proceeded not from them. Christ gave it by 
authority, they ministerially, St. Paul expresses it 
(Gal. iii.). 

The Holy Ghost then being the Spirit of the Son, as 
well as of the Father, why then is He called the Spirit 
of the Father? I. Because the Father is the fountain 
and origin of Deity, and does communicate it both to 
the Son and to the Spirit. Hence divines compare the 
Father to the fountain from whence the water springs I 
the Son to the river and stream that flows from this 
fountain ; the Holy Ghost, to the pool or sea into which 
both fountain and river do flow and run. All one in 
substance, yet distinctly apprehended by these resem- 
blances. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost joined in the 
great work of our salvation. As in our creation : Let 
us make ; so in the resurrection, the power of the 
Father, the wisdom of the Son, the grace of the Holy 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 30I 

Ghost, all concurred in this work. Thus, '' for by Him 
we have access both in one Spirit to the Father " (Ephes. 
ii. 18). The Son commends us, the Spirit conducts us, 
and the Father receives us. 

The resurrection is ascribed to the three divine Per- 
sons : I. "Him God raised up the third day " (Acts x. 
40). 2. ''He had power to lay down His life, and 
power to take it up again " (John x. 18). Christ is the 
author of His own resurrection; His divinity was in- 
separably joined to His humanity, united not only to 
His living, but also to His dead body; and by virtue 
of that union He raised Himself. As the sun sets and 
rises by its own motion. 3. The Holy Ghost raised up 
Christ ; '' He was put to death in the flesh, but he was 
quickened by the Spirit " (i Fet. iii. 18). So then all 
concur ; but it is especially attributed to the Father for 
divers reasons. The Father is said to have raised Christ 
from the dead, because the Father is in a special man- 
ner the fountain of life^ as the Son is made known by the 
attribute of zvisdom. The Holy Ghost by the attribute 
love ; so the Father is represented by the attribute of 
life. Christ calls Him the living Father {]o\\n vi. 58). 
And St. Peter confessed that glorious title : '' Thou art 
the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

The same Spirit of God is communicable to us, the 
same arm of power may be reached out to us. He will 
employ the same power for us which He did for Christ 
(Ephes. i. 19). 

The Holy Ghost dwells in us by faith in a mystical 
manner. Infidelity excludes Him. Faith receives and 
entertains Him ; by charity He dwells in us. *' God is 
charity ; and he that abideth in charity, abideth in God, 
and God in him " (i John iv. 6). 



o02 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost. Thus 
St. Paul tells us (i Cor. vi. 19) : " You are the temple 
of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from 
God, and you are not your own." He that shall de- 
stroy the temple of God, him shall God destroy. The 
Fathers prove that the Holy Ghost is a true substance 
because He hath a temple. None but God possess a tem- 
ple. There a man dwells, where He resides and abides 
constantly. So then the Spirit dwells in a Christian ; 
that is, He is constantly fixed in him, sets up his rest, 
makes him His mansion. *' Here will I dwell, for I 
have chosen it " (Ps. cxxxi. 14). Therefore we must 
"not grieve the Holy Spirit of God" (Ephes. iv. 30), 
much less resist Him (Acts vii. 51), least of all despise 
Him (Heb. x.). Violence to a temple of God is counted 
sacrilege. The body is not for fornication, but for the 
Lord, and the Lord for the body. Sanctification is a 
necessary requisite to a glorious resurrection. '' If the 
Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell 
in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall 
also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that 
dwelleth in you " (Rom. viii.). 

The expectation of future glory must be founded 
upon present grace. TJioii wilt not give Thy Holy Ojie 
to see corruption (Ps. xv. 10). " Everlasting life is called 
the fruit of holiness " (Rom. vi. 22). " He that soweth 
in the Spirit, of the Spirit shall reap life everlasting" 
(Gal. vi. 8). Se mentis ho die et eras messis, says St. Chry- 
sostom. This life is the seed-time ; the next life is 
the harvest. If there be no seed-time of grace, never 
expect any harvest of glory. " We who have the first- 
fruits of the Spirit waiting for the redemption of our 
body" (Rom, vi. 23). 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 303 

That hand that created us shall again raise and re- 
store us. Mine ozv7t I will bring back again i^s) Shall 
man that is dead .... live again? observed Job (xiv. 
14, 15). Yes, yes, "Thou shalt call me, and I will an- 
swer thee : to the work of thy hands thou shalt reach 
out thy right hand." 

There are many miracul us works in Scripture that 
did prefigure our resurrection, but none like this of 
raising Christ. Henoch's translation, that he saw not 
death (Gen. v. 24) ; Elias' rapture and assumption in a 
fiery chariot ; his exemption from death, his exaltation 
was a type of our resurrection. Aaron's rod, a dry, dead 
piece of wood made to bud and flourish, argues a possi- 
bility that we shall revive. The garments of the Israel- 
ites for forty years, though used and worn, yet decayed 
not. He who can preserve our garments from wearing 
can preserve our bodies from perishing. The children 
cast into a fiery furnace, yet preserved ; Jonas cast up 
again when the whale had swallowed him ; the prophet 
slain by the lion, but yet not devoured by him. All 
these are hopeful assurances and sweet resemblances 
and arguments of our rising again, but none like this : 
He that raised Christ from the dead, shall raise us 
also. 

St. Paul argues strongly from Christ's resurrection 
the possibility of ours : " If Christ be risen again, how 
say some that there is no resurrection ? " Death is van- 
quished by Christ's resurrection. When the prison door 
is open it is easy to escape. If the head be risen, the 
members must follow after. Christus 7iot potest habere 
membra damnata. We have seen the author, what is 
the action? He shall quicken our mortal bodies, why 
not our dead bodies ? To be raised from mortality is a 



304 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

great deal more than to be raised from death. The 
resurrection frees us from the possibility of death — 
dcatJi shall have no dominion over us, not only " death 
is swallowed up in victory " (i Cor. xv. 54), but 
also "mortality shall be swallowed by life" (2 Cor. 

V. 4). 

This resurrection of ours exceeds that of Lazarus 
and the others mentioned in Scripture. Nay, our res- 
urrection sets us in an immortality beyond that of 
Adam. He had an immortality, but not like this of 
ours. As was his liberty from sin, so was his immor- 
tality and freedom from death. He might not have 
sinned — that was his liberty ; he might not have died 
— that was his immortality. But the liberty from sin in 
heaven is non posse peccare ; there they cannot sin. So 
in our immortality, non posse mori, that we cannot die ; 
it takes away the possibility of death. 

" God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and 
death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor 
sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are 
passed away " (Rev. xxi. 4). 

The Spirit of God dwelling in us is a proof of our 
resurrection, because it is the vincidum unionis, the 
Spirit is the bond of our union and conjunction with 
Christ. By it we are incorporated with His holy body 
and made members of it. Now, if our head rise, all 
the members must rise with it. If the head be in heaven, 
the members shall not forever perish in the grave. 
Christ will part with none of His members : " Father, I 
will that where I am they shall be also "; " because I 
live, you shall live also " (John xiv. 19). 

The wicked have no share in Christ's resurrection, 
nevertheless they shall be raised ex officio Jzidicisj not 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 305 

bencficio vicdiatoris. They do not bear the image of the 
second Adam ; they are not planted into the similitude 
of His death or resurrection. He is the resurrection 
and life to them that believe in Him (John xi.). The 
resurrection of the wicked is not the fruit of the Gospel, 
but rather the sequel of a law. If our bodies are the 
dwellings of Satan, there remains nothing but a sink of 
sin, a dunghill of corruption and rendezvous of unclean 
spirits. All the rent he pays thee will be ruin and de- 
struction. But if the Spirit of God dwells in us, the 
same power that raised up Jesus from the dead shall 
raise also our mortal bodies to an immortal life of 
glory. 

Wherefore, to conclude this subject : Since it is ap- 
pointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgmejtt, 
what matters it whether those particles of which our 
bodies are composed shall be scattered to the four 
winds of the heavens, since He who hushed the roaring 
thunder, calmed the raging billows, and gave vitality to 
the cold ear of death — in a word, He who gave us our 
life, our light, and our being, can bring our bodies to- 
gether again, atom to its atom, bone to its fellow bone, 
and make them stand up vivified and glorified on the 
very grave where they lay. They may bury His saints 
in the ocean, or burn them, and scatter their ashes on 
the winds as an old persecutor did, to prevent Christ 
from finding them ; but Jesus never sleeps, and the 
honored dust of His people is more precious to Him 
than those beautiful worlds that He guides far above 
us in the blue skies. 

O glorious Jesus! the Saviour and Judge of man- 
kind, before whose just tribunal we must all appear, 
but when, we know not, and there give account of our 



306 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

works, and be rewarded according to them, assist me 
with Thy grace, that, persevering to the end, I may die 
in Thy love, and enter the kingdom of Thy Father, to 
praise Him, world without end. 

" Thanks be to God who hath given us the victory 
through our Lord Jesus Christ " (i Cor. xv. 57). 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 307 



- I WILL GO AND SEE THIS GREAT 

SIGHT." 

(EXOD. iii. 3.) 

While Moses fed the flock of Jethro on the mount of 
God, behold a wonderful object was exhibited to his 
view. It was a bush all on fire, which nevertheless was 
not consumed by the flames. What could be the cause 
that preserved it from consumption ? How was it that 
this destructive element, whose violence consumes all 
that comes within its reach, spared this miraculous 
bush ? Who would not have said as Moses did under 
such circumstances : " I will go and see this great sight " ? 

In this chapter I shall call the attention and devotion 
of my readers to an extraordinary prodigy in which is 
manifested one of the greatest miracles of the Almighty. 
It is a virgin destined by the counsels of Heaven to 
become the Mother of God, a virgin free from the least 
stain of the guilt of Adam. 

When we view retrospectively the history of the Jew- 
ish people, as well as the history of our Blessed Lord ; 
when we see the cherished prophets, patriarchs, and 
doctors chosen from among thousands to be the instru- 
ments of divine providence ; when we see Moses, a 
man of God, in the midst of roaring thunder, sur- 
rounded by those tremendous flashes of lightning that lit 
up the dismal sky, ascending the craggy mountain of 
Sinai, and receiving from the hands of God that grand, 
subHme, moral, and ever undying code of " The Ten 
Commandments "; when we see the apostles, those val- 



308 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

iant champions of Christianity, erecting the standard of 
the Cross, floating the banner of Calvary triumphantly 
over the plains of Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome ; but 
notwithstanding those heaven-given faculties, by which 
they wrought so many wonderful miracles, nevertheless 
not one of them could claim exemption from the sin of 
our first parents. The Virgin Mary alone was free 
from all sin ; her soul, from the very moment of her 
conception, was sanctified and replenished with the gifts 
of the Holy Ghost, in order that she might become a 
pure tabernacle, worthy of the dignity of the Mother of 
Jesus, who made her an impassable barrier that stopped 
the progress of the infernal enemy. 

God made man to His own image and likeness. He 
gave him a precept of easy observance. This was nec- 
essary to show him his dependence on the power which 
had called him into existence from a state of nonentity. 
The law given to man was : " That he should not eat 
of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and of evil " 
(Gen. iii.) ; the threat of the penalty of death being 
added. But man violated the divine behests, and hu- 
manity in Adam was doomed to perpetual exile from 
its celestial home. The fountain of the misery which 
abounds through the human race, is the sin of the first 
man, from whom the poisonous draft of original sin was 
transmitted. Kings and subjects, the great and the 
small, rich and poor, were stricken by a common male- 
diction. Therefore does the apostle say that we are 
all born children of wrath. " By one man sin entered 
into this world, and by sin death ; and so death passed 
upon all men in whom all have sinned " (Rom. v. 12). 
Therefore did the prophets of old say : '' A heavy yoke 
is upon the children of Adam, from the day of their 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 309 

coming out of their mothers' womb until the day of 
their burial into the mother of all " (Ecclesiasticus xl. 
i). " Man born of woman, living for a short time, is 
filled with many miseries " (Job xiv. i). " The imagin- 
ation and thought of man's heart are prone to evil from 
his youth" (Gen. viii. 21). "For, behold, I was con- 
ceived in iniquities ; and in sins did my mother con- 
ceive me " (Ps. 1. 7). Let us see St. Paul's clearest con- 
fessions, so that we may be able to embrace all in a few 
words : " I am carnal, sold under sin, for the good 
which I will, I do not ; but the evil which I will not, 
that I do ; I see another law in my members, fighting 
against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the 
law of sin that is in my members " (Rom. vii. 14, 19, 
23). From that corrupt concupiscence, which is not of 
the Father, are born contentions and murders, and im- 
moderate desires, and every evil that is introduced into 
the world (i John ii. 16). From the above testimony 
one would naturally conclude that all were born in sin ; 
and, in fact, St. Paul, speaking of this universal sentence 
of reprobation against the human race, seems not to 
admit of the least exception. "Wherefore as by one 
man sin entered into this world," etc. The forcible 
language of the apostle, based upon divine authority, 
and corroborated by the testimony of inspired men, 
and our own corrupt nature, prove that we have fallen 
away from the happy state in which Adam was placed. 
By his unfortunate prevarication, the gates of heaven 
were closed. No act on the part of man could extri- 
cate mankind from the wrath of God ; no soul could 
ever enter through the sacred portals of heaven except 
though the Blood of the Incarnate Word. But the 
counsels of heaven sat, the Divine Word offered Him- 



3IO THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

self to become incarnate in order to appease His Fa- 
ther's wrath, to reconcile man to God ; to regenerate, to 
sanctify, to redeem. A thousand oracles proclaim His 
advent ; patriarchs have sighed for and prophets have 
proclaimed His coming. The fulness of time has come ; 
a virgin is born from the root of Jesse ; an angel speaks 
the message of God ; consent is given and the Word is 
made flesh in the womb of Mary immaculate. Vadam 
et videbo visionein hanc magnain. I will go and see this 
great vision : A virgin destined by the counsels of 
heaven to become the Immaculate Mother of the Son 
of God ; a virgin over whom the breath of sin never 
passed. God, in His divine economy, saw the necessity 
of creating a pure humanity worthy of the dignity of 
the divine Person. God in His divine justice could not 
suffer His well-beloved Son to assume a corrupt hu- 
manity, because it was repugnant to a divine Person to 
be united to sin-stained flesh and blood ; hence the ne- 
cessity of selecting a pure and spotless virgin from 
whom the Son of God should receive His Humanity. 
Whatsoever substance of His body He received from 
the blessed Virgin descending from Adam, nevertheless 
He did not receive it of a carnal mixture like other 
men, but of the virtue of the Holy Ghost, who disposed 
of that substance, removing from it even what only 
might have the appearance of sin : " For it was fitting 
that we should have such a High-Priest, holy, innocent, 
undefiled, separated from sinners " (Heb. vii. 26). 

But if the Almighty God had taken that nature from 
one who bore in her own blood the personal taint of 
the universal sin, we must conclude that He thereby 
would have compromised His own infinite holiness ; 
and therefore it was necessary that coming to redeem a 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 311 

sinful race, the individual of that race from which He 
took His most sacred humanity should be perfectly 
pure and immaculate. God never yet called any crea- 
ture to any dignity or to any ofifice without bestowing 
upon that creature graces adequately proportionate to 
the duties which He imposed upon him. Hence it is 
that the prophet Jeremias was sanctified in his mother's 
womb before he was born, and that the infant prophet 
came into this world without the slightest taint of sin. 
Read the words of Scripture : '' The word of the Lord 
came to me, saying : Before I formed thee in thy 
mother's womb I knew thee ; and before thou camest 
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee and made thee 
a prophet unto the nations " (Jeremias i. 4, 5). So in 
like manner, when God created John the Baptist, who 
was not only to proclaim the coming of God, but to 
point out God amongst men in the person of Jesus 
Christ, He sanctified him in his mother's womb, and 
John the Baptist was born without sin. If Almighty 
God sanctifies a man before his birth, anticipating the 
ordinary way of regeneration, as in the case of Jeremias 
and John the Baptist, simply because that man was 
called to the office of proclaiming the Word, surely 
there must have been some distinctive sanctity, some 
especial grace in reserve for the Virgin Mary, as her 
office transcends theirs as far as the heavens transcend 
the earth. Jeremias had but to announce the word of 
God revealed to him. Mary was to bring forth the 
Word of God incarnate in her immaculate womb. John 
the Baptist was to point Him out and say : ^' Behold 
the Lamb of God." Mary was to hold Him in her 
arms and say to the world : " This Lamb of God, who 
is to save all mankind, is my son." And therefore it is 



312 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

that as her office exceeded that of prophet, preacher, 
and precursor, so God reserved her alone amongst all 
that He created upon this earth that she should be con- 
ceived as well as born without sin, that that stream of 
sin which touched us all, and in its touch defiled us, 
should never defile the blood of Mary, who furnished to 
Jesus Christ the blood in which He washed away 
the world's sin. Therefore the Almighty for this took 
thought and forethought from eternity. " The Lord pos- 
sessed me in the beginning of His ways, before He made 
anything, from the beginning "; that is to say, in the 
eternal counsels of God, Mary arose in all splendor, 
sanctity, and purity, because in her was to be accom- 
plished the mystery of mysteries, the mystery that was 
hidden from ages with Christ in God, namely, the In- 
carnation of the Eternal Word. 

God tells us in the Scripture expressly, that although 
all men were born in sin, yet there were a few who were 
exempted from that general rule because they were al- 
lowed to approach so near God. The woman who ap- 
proached Him nearest of all the daughters of the earth, 
who came nearer to God than all His angels in heaven 
were allowed to approach Him, must be the only one 
of whom the Scripture speaks when it says : '' My be- 
loved is one and only one, and she is all fair, and there 
is no spot nor stain in her " (Canticle of Canticles). 
That one was the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom God des- 
tined from all eternity to be the spotless daughter of 
God the Father, the faithful spouse of the Holy Ghost, 
while Jesus in all His glory is still flesh of her flesh and 
bone of her bone, calls her His own sweet and loving 
mother. Jesus is the King of heaven, Mary is the 
Queen. She certainly becomes next to Jesus in dig- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 313 

nity and merit, and her glory is therefore next to His 
in splendor and magnificence. Thus did the apostle 
(St. John) behold her as she shone forth in the eternal 
counsels of God : " A great sign appeared in heaven ; a 
woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her 
feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." Who 
was this woman? Mark what follows, and you will 
know for yourself. " And she brought forth a man- 
child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod ; 
and her son was to be taken up to God and to His 
throne " (Apoc. xii. 1-5). Who can she be but the 
woman that brought forth that man-child, Jesus Christ, 
the Son of God ? 

How could God the Father honor any woman more 
highly than by choosing her from all eternity to become 
the mother of His only begotten Son ? This the Bible 
teaches us He did. He decreed that Mary should be 
the fortunate woman of whose flesh His own Word 
would take His flesh and become the Emmanuel, the 
God with us. She was truly the chosen one of heaven, 
among thousands and thousands of millions. Hence it 
stands written at the very head of the book : " I will 
put enmities between thee (the serpent) and the woman, 
and thy seed and her seed ; she shall crush thy head " 
(Gen. iii, 15). The woman here alluded to is no other 
than Mary, who, by giving birth to the Saviour, crushed 
the head of the serpent which had seduced Eve and 
brought ruin on our race. Hence He continues to 
honor her throughout the ages that precede the accom- 
plishment of the great event. All prophets who 
prophesy of the Messiah, either explicitly or implicitly, 
prophesy of Mary. Read attentively the prophet 
Isaias predicting more plainly the great event to which 
14 



314 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

is attached the salvation of the world. What does this 
prophet see? What is that prodigy which strikes him 
with astonishment, and to which he calls the attention 
of the house of David : "■ Hear ye, therefore, O house 
of David ! The Lord Himself shall give you a sign ! " 
That sign, that prodigy which God was to give to His 
people is Mary : '' Behold, a virgin shall conceive and 
bear a son ; and his name shall be called Emmanuel, 
which means God with us " (Isaias vii. 13, 14). She 
shall be a virgin and the mother of a God — Ecce, virgo 
concipiet et parict filiuin, ct vocabittir nonien ejus Emman- 
uel. But dismissing metaphors and ancient predictions, 
let us see if the Gospel gives us less sublime notions of 
this Virgin. God commissions the angel Gabriel to 
announce the great mystery of man's redemption to 
the Virgin Mary, and to inform her that she is the in- 
strument chosen by God for its accomplishment (Luke 
i. 26-38). The angel was astonished when he beheld 
her greatness, and bending in his angelic form before 
her, said : " Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee ; 
blessed art thou among women." And when she 
trembled at his words, he assured her, saying: "Fear 
not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Be- 
hold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring 
forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus." 

Mary was far from being exalted in her own thoughts 
at the dignity to which she had been raised, but meekly 
replied : Ecce ancilla Domini^ fiat mihi secundum verbum 
tuum. She still considered herself nothing better than 
the poor handmaid or servant of her God, though in 
truth already His mother. 

'' Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee ; 
blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 315 

of thy womb." In these few but expressive words is com- 
prised the most sublime and most complete panegyric 
that was ever spoken of a pure creature. To be sanctified 
in his mother's womb v/as the singular privilege of the 
Baptist ; to be prevented by the early infusions of divine 
grace, and to shine with rich ornaments of grace, has 
been the privilege of saints ; but to be full of grace, and 
to be replenished with the overflowing spring of divine 
grace was the prerogative of Mary. God is with all His 
creatures by the gift of creation and preservation ; He 
is with all Christians by grace of adoption ; He is with 
His more faithful servants by the special communica- 
tion of His love and sanctity. But He is with Mary in 
a manner far above all this, else the angel had said no 
more than was applicable to the other elect of God, 
nothing which distinguished Mary from the rest of the 
saints. By the choice which the Son of God made of 
Mary to become His mother. He has honored her above 
all daughters of Eve ; He has exalted her to a dignity 
the most sublime that a pure creature is capable of ; to 
a dignity above all that is not God. This divine choice, 
then, is the foundation of Mary's greatness. 

"The Lord is with thee." But that Immaculate 
Heart, purer than crystal, the home of the most perfect 
happiness ever enjoyed by woman, the tabernacle 
wherein the Lord dwells, nothing defiled can enter 
therein. 

From the testimonies of Holy Writ, from tradition^ 
the t'e that binds the past, present, and future together 
from the primitive and constant doctrine of the Catholic 
Church, and from the unanimous consent of all nations 
who have embraced her faith, it is evinced that the sec- 
ond Person of the Blessed Trinity is the true and only 



3l6 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

begotten Son of the Father ; that He is consubstantial 
and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Ghost be- 
fore all ages, that for us men and for our salvation He 
descended from heaven, took flesh in the womb of the 
Virgin Mary, was born of her in Bethlehem, and is 
called Jesus, and that the Virgin Mary is consequently 
the mother of Jesus, and thus is truly the mother of 
God. She is expressly styled so (Mother of Jesus) by 
St. John (ii. i), the Mother of the Lord (so is she like- 
wise styled) by St. Luke (i. 43). 

Elizabeth, upon Mary's entering her house, was filled 
with the Holy Ghost, and in ecstasy exclaimed : " Bless- 
ed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit 
of thy v/omb. And whence is this to me that the mo- 
ther of my Lord should come to me?" The Lord of 
Elizabeth was no other than God ; and that God had 
come to her with her cousin, who bore Him in her vir- 
ginal bosom. It is true that Mary did not give His di- 
vine nature to Jesus ; that He held it exclusively from 
His heavenly Father. But we maintain that since, at 
the conception of Christ, the human nature which He 
had from Mary became united in one and the same di- 
vine Person of the Godhead, Mary must be and is 
rightly styled the Mother of God. An example will 
illustrate to some extent the truth of this mystery. 
When a mother gives birth to a child, she is truly and 
deservedly called the mother of that child ; yet she did 
not create the soul of that child — the soul was created 
by God. All she formed in her bosom was the earthly 
part of his compound being. So although Mary did 
not conceive the divine nature of the Word, yet be- 
cause at the very moment she conceived, the human 
nature was united in one and the same divine Person 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 317 

with the divine nature, she is truly called the Mother 
of God. 

Our assailants think, no doubt, the following argu- 
ment a master-stroke of logic : Mary is the mother of 
God. But a mother is of necessity older than her off- 
spring. Therefore Mary is older than God. I hope 
our opponents are Christians, and that they believe 
Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God. Read the i6th 
chapter of St. Matthew, and you will find Peter's an- 
swer to Christ's question, viz.: '^ Thou art Christ, the Son 
of the living God." Will our opponents deny that 
Jesus Christ had a mother? Will they deny that Mary 
was His mother? Jesus Christ is truly God, as most 
Protestants admit ; and the Blessed Virgin being the 
mother of Jesus Christ, she is therefore properly called 
the Mother of God, as the holy Catholic Church has 
always believed and taught. 

Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople in the fifth cen- 
tury, wickedly attempted to dispute this glorious title ; 
but the Church assembled in a general council at Ephe- 
sus, and condemned his heterodox assertion. Why, 
then, should it be wondered at, that Catholics of the 
nineteenth century should venerate the mother of 
Jesus, since those valiant champions of Christianity — 
Augustine, Ambrose, Jerome, and Cyril — pronounced 
her the living and immortal temple of the Divinity? It 
is very remarkable that in all those shining hosts of 
saints who in every age adorned the Church, not one of 
them wrote against the belief that Mary was ever 
tainted with original sin. St. Ambrose prays to God 
in the following words : " Receive me, O God, not from 
the hands of Sarah, but from the hands of Mary, the 
Immaculate Virgin, the Virgin who through grace is free 



3l8 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

from every spot of sin " (Sermo. xxii., Ps. xviii.). Ori- 
gen, speaking of the divine mother, says, she was not 
infected with the poisonous sting of the serpent ; and 
St. Augustine, from the words of the angel, that Mary 
was altogether excepted from the wrath of the first 
judgment. St. Jerome says : Mary was never in dark- 
ness, but in light. Such was the teaching of those 
great men, who in their sublime talents seem to soar 
far above the scale of humanity, and such is the teach- 
ing of tJiree Jinndrcd and tzvclve viillio7is and a half of 
Christians in our own day — fifty-six millions and a half of 
whom belong to the Greek schismatic Church ; while 
only forty-eight millions of Protestants oppose the 
above number, scarcely five millions of them agreeing 
amongst themselves. Thus this vast army of souls, 
composed of three hundred and twelve millions, firmly 
believe, as a dogma of faith, that Mary, like the purest 
morning light, which precedes the rising of the most 
brilliant sun, was from the first instant of her concep- 
tion, free from original sin. 

Notwithstanding the above testimony, our age does 
not lack Christian sects who hold us up to the ridicule 
of the world, because we honor the Blessed Virgin. 
Were we, as they say, to give Mary the honor due to 
God alone, we ought to be held up to the mockery and 
execration of mankind indeed ; but being the disciples 
of the Gospel, and the children of the Church, we know 
to whom supreme and relative honor are due. We honor 
Mary next to our heavenly Father, because the most 
sacred authorities tell us that our veneration for the 
mother of Jesus cannot be too great, and we practice 
it because the most urgent duties demand it. 

Our dissenters may ask the question : How can you 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 319 

worship the Virgin Mary, and the saints and angels ? 
How can you supplicate them for aid, instead of appeal- 
ing directly to God and to Christ : when our Saviour 
has declared that there Is only one Mediator between 
God and man — Jesus Christ ? We respond to these 
interrogations In a few words. We believe that supreme 
worship and adoration of mortals belong to the Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost. We believe that the only Me- 
diator between God and man is our Saviour, and that 
the angels, saints, and mortals always address Him, 
adore Him, worship Him, and pray to Him as such. 
But does this fact preclude the sinner from asking his 
pastor to pray to Christ for the pardon of his sins? 
Do not the Holy Scriptures repeatedly command us to 
pray for one another ? And when the Protestant pas- 
tor prays to God or to Christ for pardon and a blessing 
for one of his flock who may be sick or weak in mind 
and body, he certainly does not assume to himself the 
office of mediator between God and man, but he acts 
the part of an humble suppliant imploring the Almighty 
in behalf of a sinful brother. The whole Christian 
world recognizes the propriety and utility of such 
prayers, and no one supposes the pastor or the Chris- 
tian friend usurps any of the attributes or the preroga- 
tives of our Divine Master. In like manner the Catholic 
requests his priest to pray for him. But he does not 
stop here, he even asks the mother of Jesus to pray for 
him. If the prayers of a clergyman now on earth are 
acceptable before God, a thousand times more accepta- 
ble are the prayers of Mary, the Queen of heaven, 
'' Clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and 
on her head a crown of twelve stars." 

Again, it will be readily allowed, that nothing can 



320 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

be more beautiful than the characters of the women of 
the Old Testament, as described by the ministers of 
those Christian sects. They discourse eloquently on 
Rachel, Rebecca, Ann, the mother of Samuel ; Miriam, 
the sister of Moses; Ruth, Esther, and Judith; Eliza- 
beth, Anna the Prophetess ; Mary Magdalen, Martha, 
can win their admiration and rouse their souls to a 
sacred enthusiasm ; but when there is a question of 
Mary, the mother of their Saviour, their courage and 
their eloquence fail them, and their heart grows faint, 
lest every sound of praise in honor of Mary be a reflec- 
tion cast upon her Son. The audience share the scruples 
of the speaker. They are thrilled with horror when 
from the pulpit or platform they hear her name. What 
minister would dare salute her as Gabriel did : " Hail, 
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee ; blessed art 
thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy 
womb." His hearers would deem him a papist or a 
madman if he attempted it. And yet these men boast 
of pure Christianity, and charge the Roman Catholic 
Church with Mariolatry, as if the archangel Gabriel, as 
if the inspired Elizabeth, as if the Holy Ghost, as 
if God Himself were abhorred and detested worship- 
pers of Mary. Who does not see the absurdity of such 
hypocrisy? 

Dr. A. Clarke, the great armory of Protestants, desig- 
nates those who hold the Catholic belief as ''the most 
stupid of mortals" (2d ed., Lond., 1814, p. 51). This 
is not very complimentary ; but when I consider how 
very parallel to these and such like expressions are 
the taunts formerly cast by Julian the Apostate on the 
Galileans, because they believed a mere man to be God, 
I own I feel not only comforted, but proud at finding 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 32 1 

ourselves placed in a situation so similar as our ances- 
tors in Christianity, with relation to our modern adver- 
saries. 

It has been repeatedly asserted that we ought not to 
show any affection or reverence for the Virgin Mother, 
on the blasphemous ground that our Saviour Himself 
was wanting in the exercise of even filial love toward her; 
nor yet is this the worst feature of the case, for a graver 
and most awful charge is made against us in conse- 
quence of our belief. We are denounced as idolaters 
because we pay a certain reverence to the saints of God. 
And yet instead of taking anything from God it is add- 
ing immensely to His glory. By thus calling on the 
saints to pray for us, instead of robbing Him of His 
honor, we serve Him in a much more noble way than 
in any other. We see the saints prostrated in our be- 
half offering their golden crowns and palms before His 
footstool, pouring out before Him the odors of their 
golden vials, which are the prayers of their brethren on 
earth (Rev. iv. 10, 5, 8), and interceding through the 
death and passion of His Son. Surely such passages as 
these ought to make our traducers modify their lan- 
guage when they speak of our doctrines. W^e see a 
strong groundwork of our belief in the Word of God, 
and we are completely borne out by the practice of the 
Church. 

In the third and fourth centuries we have the testi- 
mony of several Fathers ; but I will select only two. 
Origen says : " Let Mary then be honored ; but the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be adored." ^' Let no one 
adore Mary " (St. Epiphanius reproving the errors of 
Collyridian heretics). 

Every Catholic, even the most ignorant, is carefully 
14* 



322 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

instructed by his priest that he must worship God alone; 
that he must rely upon Him for mercy and pardon ; 
but nevertheless also that we are justified in honoring 
the memory of the just, according to the sacred Scrip- 
tures, wherein the Lord commands us to honor the 
memory of the just, and praise them in the assembly of 
the faithful (Ecclesiasticus). " Honor to whom honor 
is due," says St. Paul (Rom. xiii. 7). 

Now, if honor is due to one who has liberated his 
country from, the hands of his enemy, for example, 
Washington, that valiant champion of freedom, who 
rescued his country from the hands of despotism, tyr- 
anny, and corruption. Who would not venerate the 
name of Washington, leaving his blood-stained foot- 
prints on the congealed waters of the Delaware in order 
to establish for every child of his country a liberty 
which I trust in Providence shall never be destroyed. 
Every son of freedom would kiss those bloody foot- 
marks, would love and venerate that immortal hero ! 
Now, if such praises are lavished upon man, why then 
rob Mary of hers, her who was the instrument in the 
hands of Providence in liberating the human race from 
the trammels of death ; she who gave us the price of 
our ransom, the Lord Jesus, Him who delivered us 
from sin and hell, and who triumphed over both in the 
flesh, which He received from her? 

And now we may ask. Is there anything exaggerated, 
unnatural or repugnant to God's Word In the view which 
we have taken of the Blessed Virgin ? We feel sure 
there Is not. We may further ask. Did the apostles in 
their preaching pass her over in silence ? Certainly not. 
When the Twelve Apostles assembled together in order 
to form the grandest document of Christianity, the 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 323 

Apostles' Creed, Is the name of Mary forgotten, her 
memory passed over in silence? The sublime, the 
masterpiece, the everlasting monument of Christianity, 
the Creed, assures no, but unites her with the Godhead. 

Now, when contemplating the early scenes of the 
Gospel history, we find her place has been far from duly 
considered with reference to questions controversially 
agitated. It is true that the Catholic attaches import- 
ance to all recorded concerning her In the Gospel, and 
finds there proofs incontestable of her virtue, her dig- 
nity, her privileges, and her influence, or rather power. 
The Protestant, on the contrary, with the exception of 
a few ultra high churchmen, is prone to depress, to ex- 
tenuate, to disattach Importance from all that relates to 
her ; nay, he seeks to overlook It all, as merely second- 
ary, casual, and almost dangerous. Now, It Is surely 
important, and It can hardly fail to be Interesting, to 
ascertain what place Is appointed to her by the Word 
and the Spirit of God in the twofold economy oi faith 
and oi grace. 

In the earlier part of the Gospel history we look for 
our answer. It is clear that the historical books of the 
New Testament present a twofold aspect, as historical 
records and as inspired compositions. Their writers 
used every human industry and pains to record what 
they believed and knew to be true ; and the divine 
Spirit superintended, guided, secured from the smallest 
error, and sealed the work which He Himself had sug- 
gested to the writer's mind. And no small portion of 
the apostles' glory consists in their having been chosen 
witnesses of our Blessed Lord's actions, to manifest 
them to the world, whence St. Paul hesitates not to say 
that we are God's household because we are " built 



324 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Upon the foundation " (that is, the testimony) " of the 
apostles and prophets " (Ephesians ii. 20). 

But whatever may have been the importance of the 
facts to which they were called to be witnesses, there 
was one of more importance than any of them, one 
which is the very groundwork of the Christian dispen- 
sation, without the certainty of which the entire system 
falls to pieces. This is the mystery of the Incarnation, 
as accomplished upon earth. To this God willed that 
there should be only one witness of all its holiest de- 
tails and sole evidence. " In the mouth of two or three 
witnesses every word may stand " (Matt, xviii. 16), — ex- 
cept the Word of words, the Incarnate Word. This 
must stand attested to the world forever by only one 
witness, and that was Mary, the ever blessed. Who 
could tell that Gabriel came from heaven and from the 
Eternal Father, brought her message ? Who, that she 
was alarmed at his greeting? Who, that she hesitated 
to accept the proposed prerogative of a divine mater- 
nity at its imagined price? Who, that He manifested 
the fulness of the gift, and the miraculous agency by 
which it had to be accomplished ? Who, her virginal 
consent, and its concurrent effect, the mystery of life, 
the Emmanuel in existence, a God-man in being? Only 
she the chosen, exclusive partaker on earth of the most 
hidden counsels of the Almighty. 

Now, first take away her contribution to the Gospel 
testimony, efface her testimony to Christianity, and you 
find not simply a link broken, but the very fastening 
of the whole chain wanting ; not merely a gap or a 
break made in the structure, but the foundation gone. 

Now, here the belief in the wonders wrought in the 
Incarnation, of ages and of the world, rests upon one 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 325 

point of testimony, a unit, a single voice, that of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Again we say, cancel her testimony, and what be- 
comes of all other witnesses? Had she not let out the 
secrets of her breast, or, in higher truth, had not 
God's Spirit moved her, as He moved the evangelists, 
not to collect, indeed, but scatter; not to inquire, but 
to teach ; had He not thus made her the Evangelist of 
the evangelists, and the Apostle to apostles ; had not 
the same divine influence which overcame her first re- 
luctance of purity prevailed over her second unwilling- 
ness, and compelled her to speak the whole tale of love 
which fills the holiest of histories, the Gospel would have 
wanted not only its tenderest and most affecting be- 
ginning, but the very root from which its loveliness and 
beauty spring, to circulate it all. 

And let it be remarked, too, that even the principal 
circumstances of our Saviour's nativity and early life 
rest exclusively upon the same evidence. When St. 
Luke collected his narrative from those who had been 
witnesses from the beginning, Joseph was long departed, 
and so were Zachary and Elizabeth, as well as Simeon 
and Anna. She only who laid up all that happened in 
her mother's heart (Luke ii. 19, 51) survived, witness of 
the journey to Bethlehem and of the flight into Egypt, 
of the angelic messages which accompanied these 
events, and of the presentation in the temple. Who 
else had retained in memory the words so admirable 
and so important to us of Elizabeth and of Zachary ; 
above all, that canticle of the dearest interest to the 
Church forever, her unfailing evening hymn, the Mag- 
nificat, 

And so when, after forty years, the early life of our 



326 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

Redeemer is Inquired into, there remains one faithful 
and most loving witness to give proof of what ennobled, 
ratified, and stamped with divine evidence every action 
and every word of His after-life. Mary alone supplied 
the testimony to His miraculous conception and birth, 
and to the fulfilment of the prophecies in her pure vir- 
ginal being. 

So completely had these wonderful occurrences been 
concealed, so well had ^' the secret of the King been 
hidden " (Job xii. 7), that when our Lord came before 
the public its uncontradicted opinion pronounced Him 
to be Joseph's son, *' being, as it was supposed, the son 
of Joseph " (Luke iii. 23). And the people hesitated 
not to say in His own country : '' Is not this the carpen- 
ter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his 
brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude, 
and his sisters, are they not all with us ? " (Matt. xiii. 
55). And again they said: '' Is not this Jesus the son 
of Joseph, whose father and mother we know ? How 
then, saith he, I came down from heaven?" (John vi. 
42). Here were valid elements of human evidence a 
strong foundation for historical assertion. Had any 
one gone into the very country and neighborhood where 
Jesus had lived to inquire into His early history, he 
would have found concurrent testimony that He was 
*' the carpenter's son." The espousals of Mary with 
him would have been quoted as their enrollment in 
Augustus' census. Public repute, that is, the testimony 
of thousands, might have been powerfully alleged. And 
against all its authority, what have we to oppose ? The 
simple assertion of Mary. So high, so sacred, so un- 
doubted is her word that to the Christians of all ages 
it has sufficed to counterbalance every other source of 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 327 

information. Surely, then, her place is the very first 
in the order of Gospel evidences, and so in the economy 
of faith. 

Every prophecy which Jesus uttered, every heavenly 
doctrine which He preached, every miracle which He 
wrought, every grace which He displayed, was witness- 
ing to her every time He called her His mother. What- 
ever proved to the world who He was, showed equally 
what she was. Every work which demonstrated Him 
to be the Son of God, proved her irrefragably to be the 
mother of God : '' Beatus vcntur qui te portavit, ctubera 
qiicB suxisti " (Luke xi. 27), was the natural expression 
of feeling regarding both. It was a contradiction of 
reason and a blasphemy against God to suppose that 
she was not worthy of her high dignity, her awful re- 
lationship, or rather her appointed office, in the scheme 
of man's redemption. 

Let us then imagine the '^glorious choir" of those 
holy men about to spread over the whole earth to 
preach the Gospel, and collecting together their great 
facts which they must proclaim as the basis of their 
doctrine, and to whi^ch they must bear witness, even by 
the shedding of their blood. There is as yet no writ- 
ten word of the new law, and this meeting is therefore 
the very first source of universal teaching. 

John, and his brother, and Peter, attest the anticipa- 
tion of celestial glory on Thabor. The first of these 
alone can recount, while others hang their heads and 
blush, what took place on Calvary and on its road ; and 
the last bears witness against himself of his triple denial 
in the high-priest's hall. Nicodemus has a hidden 
treasure which he brings out in the mysterious confer- 
ence that he held with Jesus; and Magdalen maybe 



328 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

the only one to tell the history of her forgiveness. But 
when each one has contributed his all, miracles, and 
parables, and gracious words, and wisest discourse, and 
splendid acts, they have but furnished materials for a 
history of three years of a life of three-and-thirty. 
Where do the remaining thirty lie hidden ? Who holds 
their annals ? Who is the rich treasurer of that golden 
heap of blessed words and acts divine ? One, only one. 
She comes to pour into the bright waters that flow 
from the apostolic fount the virginal cruse which, queen 
of wise virgins, she treasures in her bosom. Yea, truly ; 
and the lamp which it feeds cannot be extinguished. 
A few drops indeed only will she give ; for by those 
thirty years it may be said that she mainly was intended 
to profit — they were her school of perfection. But 
every single drop is most precious ; is as a peerless and 
priceless pearl. *' Oleum effusum nomen tuiun " (Cant. 
i. 2) ; the very name of Jesus ; that name of blessing 
and salvation : Wonderful God, the Mighty (Isaias ix. 
6). And such are the precious and most soothing 
manifestations which Mary will make for the comfort 
of devout souls, even to the end of the world. She will 
lay the very groundwork of the evangelical narrative. 
Whatever gratitude the Church bears toward the col- 
lectors and preservers of our first sacred records is due 
in a signal manner to her. Whatever of credibility, au- 
thority, and truthfulness is warranted by Christian be- 
lief to the witnesses of what constitutes the basis of 
faith, must be peculiarly extended to her. Nor may we 
doubt the justness of her title in the Church — Regina 
Apostolorum. 

It is gratifying, therefore, and consoling to a Catholic 
to learn, even though it may not have struck him be- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 329 

fore, that the ever holy virgin mother of God holds a 
high, or the highest place in any relation which binds 
her on the one side to the merciful counsels of God, and 
on the other, to those for whom they are decreed. 

And now let us proceed to inquire what place those 
early records of our Saviour's life assign to His parent 
in the order of grace. That she was full of grace when 
she was chosen by God for that high dignity, we have 
an angel's word (Luke i. 28). That the inpouring of all 
grace into the already full vessel by the incarnation 
itself made it overflow, who can doubt ? 

It is no presumption to believe that one of the most 
remarkable and profitable events succeeding the Incar- 
nation was the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Sim- 
ply read, it is a touching record. Gabriel's was the first 
salutation of Mary, Elizabeth's the second ; and in the 
Church both are united and fit together, and are riveted 
as naturally, as we are told, the chains of Peter at Je- 
rusalem and at Rome were when brought into contact. 
*' Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee ; 
blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit 
of thy womb ! " And hence Elizabeth is the second 
external witness of the incarnation, receiving knowledge 
of that marvellous mystery from the Spirit of God. 
What a full and overpowering sense of its grandeur and 
of dignity of Mary, do not these words convey? " Whence 
is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come 
to me ? and blessed art thou who hast believed, because 
those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to 
thee by the Lord " (ver. 43-45). In other words, " What 
have I, or what am I, that such honor should be con- 
ferred upon me?" Then how does she describe it? 
" That the mother of my Lord should come to me ? " 



330 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

She was indeed the mother of the Precursor ; Mary, of 
her, and his, Lord. Her Son was to close the Old Tes- 
tament (for "until John was the law " — Luke xvi. i6). 
Mary's was to give and ratify the New ; John was to be 
the sealer of prophecy ; Jesus, its fulfilment. John was 
the herald ; Jesus, the King. Elizabeth, then, the 
woman "just before God, walking in all the command- 
ments and justifications of the Lord without blame ** 
(Luke i. 6). Elizabeth, the mother of the "greatest 
who was born of woman " (Matt. xi. ii), given to her 
miraculously ; Elizabeth, in fine, the inspired of the 
Holy Ghost, here assigns to Mary a place immeasurably 
superior to her own, in virtue of her prerogative as the 
mother of the Incarnate Word, the Saviour of the 
world, the only begotten Son of the Father. 

May we pause to ask, with whose belief about the 
Blessed Virgin does the feeling of Elizabeth agree, with 
that of Catholics or with that of Protestants ? The lat- 
ter, as we are told in a most important work published, 
"Jesus and Mary," by the Rev. J. B. Morris (Vol. 
i., p. 345), considers her "a good woman." " The Lord 
is no more with Mary than He is with my holy wife or 
saintly daughter," says some Presbyterian minister. 
Also Bishop Jewell, in his " Defence of the Church of 
England " (p. 121), says : " Catholics, not without mani- 
fest blasphemy, can thus call upon the blessed virgin, 
the mother of Christ : Thou art the lady of angels : 
thou art the queen of heaven." In the Catholic system, 
on the contrary, no one will deny this superiority is not 
a matter of opinion, but one of universal belief ; not a 
sentiment, but a doctrine. And it is assigned on the 
same ground as it is by Elizabeth — the incommunicable 
privilege of the divine maternity. 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 33 1 

St. John was thus purged and hallowed in the womb. 
This was a fruit of redemption, and, in fact, its essen- 
tial result. To purchase for us .forgiveness of sin, to 
reverse the original curse, and make us once more chil- 
dren of God, and heirs of His kingdom, were the great 
objects which brought down the Word from the bosom 
of His Father. Not only was this purification of John 
before birth a fruit of Redemption, but it may be well 
considered the first act of our Saviour's life in applica- 
tion of His atonement. 

Now, let us take in conjunction with this remarkable 
fact, another and a parallel one. We mean the per- 
formance of Christ's first miracle at Cana. From St. 
John's account it is evident that our Lord performed it 
in obedience to His mother, and even anticipated His 
appointed hour for her sake : " My hour is not yet 
come." Fleedless of this protest, she feels confident 
that He v/ill grant her request, and orders the servants 
to make preparations for the miracle (John ii. 45). 
Again we have the same principle acted upon. The 
first temporal grace, though it required a miracle, and 
that miracle involved departure from a predetermined 
plan, was for her, at her request, through her means. 
The wine would never have been obtained had she not 
interposed. 

The Baptist's sanctification was his mystical baptism, 
an anticipation by special favor to him, of what other 
souls were to receive through the ordinance which he 
had to announce — the baptism of water and the Holy 
Ghost. The transmutation of Cana was the symbol 
and the illustration of a more wonderful change in the 
eucharistic wedding feast. Each of these preliminary 
and preparatory demonstrations of power was made 



332 THE CROSS OF CHRIST 

through the instrumentality of the Blessed Mary. Is 
this surprising ? She was the aurora cousitrgcns, the 
beautiful dawn of the glorious Sun of salvation. 

If, then, there be truth in all the foregoing remarks, 
we come to the following conclusions : That, firstly, it 
pleased our Saviour to make His dear mother His in- 
strument in the first conveyance of the highest grace, 
and of the first-fruit of redemption, after He came on 
earth. Secondly, and similarly. He made her the first 
cause and motive in the exercise of His beneficial mi- 
raculous powers in favor of men. Thirdly, His conduct 
being always a principle or rule, we may deduce that 
on other similar occasions He would have allowed her 
similar privilege or right ; and, fourthly, this argument 
of analogy does not end with His life, but gives the 
Church a just ground of belief and action after both 
He and His mother have been reunited in heaven. So 
far, then, from there being any strangeness or impropri- 
ety in considering the Blessed Virgin to be an ordinary 
channel of grace, and that of the highest order, such a 
view of her position seems borne out by our Lord's 
conduct, interpreted by the usual rules which we apply 
to her. This reasoning places our Blessed Lady in the 
economy of grace, in the same position which we have 
seen her occupy in the economy of faith. She stands 
immediately next to her divine Son, above every other 
created being. 

For, if we compare her power even with that of the 
apostles, we shall find it of a different and a superior 
character. They had in all fulness a double gift, the 
sacramental energy in its completest development, and 
a miraculous command over nature and its laws. The 
first was surely not comparable to the conveying di- 



THE MEASURE OF THE WORLD. 333 

rectly saving virtue from the Son of God in her womb 
to the Precursor in Elizabeth's, thereby not only cleans- 
ing him from original sin, but probably arming him 
with immunity against actual transgression, sanctifying 
him for his high calling and spotless life. And who 
will surmise that it was a higher gift to hold the dele- 
gated power of working miracles from her Son than to 
have obedience owned by Him who communicated it, 
and to possess the acknowledged subjection of Himself 
and all His gifts ? The meaning of these words, ''And 
He was subject to them " (Lukeii. 51), came out to its 
full extent in the act which closed the hidden life of Je- 
sus, the miracle of Cana. 

From what I have remarked in this chapter, it is clear 
that we intrench ourselves behind the strong power of 
the Saviour's words and of the holy Evangelists, and 
calmly remain there till driven from our position. The 
aggression must come from the other side, and the 
trouble taken by its divines to prove that our interpre- 
tation concerning the mother of God is incorrect, suffi- 
ciently evinces that they are aware of our strength. 

" Behold ! from henceforth all generations shall call 
me blessed ; because He that is mighty hath done great 
things to me ; and holy is His name " (Luke i. 48, 49). 



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